Il Beethoven francese

Before becoming a staple of the teaching repertoire, piano four hands was one of the major features of musical social life in nineteenth-century France, especially in the salons. With two players able to convey more than one on a single keyboard, this was perfectly in keeping with the Romantics’ ambitions for the genre: to approach an orchestral sound, create rich polyphony, and enjoy the pleasure of shared virtuosity between “rivals”. Beethoven, Ladurner and Onslow each explored this domestic form with an ambition that went beyond mere entertainment. Here, the Geister Duo demonstrate the intensity and complicity involved in four-hand playing.