DVORAK: Slavic Dances
LUTOSLAWSKI: Variations on a theme of Paganini
PIAZOLLA: Tangos
***
TCHAIKOVSKY: Extracts from Nutcracker
RAVEL: La Valse
FAURE: Dolly Suite (4 hands)
FALLA/LAFITTE: Spanish Dances 1 & 2 from La vida breve
MILHAUD: Scaramouche
***
DEBUSSY: Nuages et Fêtes
PROKOFIEV/RIYUKI TERASHIMA: Classical Symphony
RAVEL/LUCIEN GARBAN: Daphnis and Chloe 2nd Suite
LUTOSLAWSKI: Variations on a theme of Paganini
MOZART: Sonata for two pianos in D major, K 448
DUKAS/ A. RABINOVICH: L’apprenti sorcier
***
PIAZOLLA: Four Tangos
RAVEL: La Valse
For Four Hands:
SCHUBERT: Rondo
BRAHMS: Hungarian Dances
***
RAVEL: Ma Mère l’Oye
DVORAK: Five Slavonic Dances
For two pianos and orchestra:
BACH: Concerto for two pianos BWV 1060 in C minor
MOZART: Double Concerto; Triple Concerto
MENDELSSOHN: Concerto for two pianos in A flat
SAINT-SAENS: Carnaval des Animaux
POULENC: Concerto for two pianos
LOPATNIKOFF: Concerto for two pianos
Press Quotes:
La Belle Epoque (Avanti Classic)
Milhaud, Ravel, Fauré, Debussy
“Karin Lechner and her brother Sergio Tiempo combine successful solo careers with their appearances together – and a formidable duo they are too. Sibling telepathy coupled with playing together since they were old enough to sit on a piano bench have their benefits, one of which is this CD, without doubt one of the most electrifying recordings of four-hand piano music I have ever heard. Any scepticism will be dispelled after the opening bars of “Vif”, the first movement of Scaramouche. How alive they are to every nuance, precision-drilled yet elegant and spontaneous, with that essential prerequisite of making a studio performance sound as though it were being played in front of a live audience.”
Gramophone, January 2010
"The enthusiasm of both musicians gives consistency to a kaleidoscopic programme. The performance is energetic, clear, vividly contrasting and characterised by confident tempi […] the two pianists demonstrate as much ease in portraying tenderness as they did in the more brilliant and spirited passages: they give a performance of ‘Dolly’ that is absolutely astounding in its gentleness and rich expressiveness.”
5 stars, Diapason, September 2009
“One can only admire the shimmer of the colours, the unequalled variety of timbres, and the refined use of the nuances and then be overwhelmed by the disarming sensitivity that is admirably performed by these excellent pianists who are in total control of their instruments.
The interpretation (of Maurice Ravel's La Valse) by the Duo Lechner Tiempo is extraordinary: the perfect symbiosis, already present from the beginning of this CD, seems to go even further: it binds the musicians in only one dash, in only one language… The rise of tension leads to a phenomenal final crescendo, leaving the listener completely flabbergasted.”
Award: Excellentia
Pizzicato, September 2009
“Milhaud's brilliant Scaramouche opens proceedings. Quite electrifying playing immediately fills the room as the young players sound, figuratively speaking, as though they are dancing along to the outer movements high spirited music […] they are suitably reflective in the central "Modere" movement and altogether this is a wonderful rendition.
[…] their playing of Ravel's second suite from Daphnis et Chloe leaves little to the orchestral version. A simply ravishing account of Lucien Garban's virtuosic transcription that the Duo Lechner play with considerable finesse.
Last up is Ravel's transcription of his own La Valse and it is given a quite exceptional reading here; many will have heard orchestras produce less colour than the Duo Lechner do here. Reflective where called for, the faster movements are thrillingly dispatched in a white-knuckle ride that has one perched on the edge of one's seat.
[…] this is a disc that cries out to be heard and then heard again! Enthusiastically recommended.”
Sa-cd.net, October 2009
“Everything in the famous music of Milhaud and Fauré is light, joyful and naturally paced in a way that is seldom heard. Then the pieces from Daphnis et Chloé sound mature and orchestral. The lightening fast passages, where brother and sister follow each other perfectly, are breathtaking. The two Nocturnes of Debussy provide an appetizer of their playing with timbres that are much more developed with two pianos than with one, from mysterious containment, almost without noticeable beginning, to majesty by the perfect doubling of many notes. That playing breaks entirely loose in a fantastic […] Valse of Ravel, which dances, astonishes, scares, explodes and finally drags you into a feverish swirl.”
Knack, July 2009
“These musicians deliver superb chamber music. The faster and more virtuosic the music is, the more musicians seem to enjoy it… For those who love flamboyant and compelling piano, this CD is an absolute must.”
De Standaard, July 2009
Back to Top