String players between the pianos
Over the years, we have heard a lot of different musical instruments during the Pianoduo Festival Amsterdam. Nowadays, we’re not surprised by non-piano instruments on the stage, but what does it feel like for a string quintet among all this piano music? “We look forward to it with excitement”, says Sergio Mastro. “Especially because it is a piano duo we will be playing with. Of course, we have a lot of experience in playing with several instrumentations, including piano, but we have never played with two pianists before. That will be a nice challenge for us, and I think it will be a unique experience for the piano duo as well. It is just a little different than what we are used to; playing with two pianos increases the possibilities to express yourself musically.”
Authenticity of Bach
In line with the festival theme ‘all roads lead to Bach’, the Wiener Kammersymphonie will play two of Bach’s concertos for two pianos and orchestra (BWV 1060 and BWV 1061). “When Bach is being performed during a concert, it’s usually the well-known works that are being played”, says Sergio. “That’s unfortunate, because there are so many other beautiful pieces, like these two concerts. I think the work of Bach is very authentic. He composed for the instruments that were common at that time, of course. For example, the Concerto for two pianos and orchestra in C (BWV 1061) was meant for two harpsichords. The fact that the music still works out very well on modern-day instruments says something about his composing skills. You could say that he was far ahead of his time.”
Fascinated by Mozart
Apart from the works of Bach, the Wiener Kammersymphonie will play the Adagio and Allegro (KV594) from Mozart and the Langsamer Satz from Von Webern, both composers that got inspired by the work of Bach. Sergio feels a special bond with the music of Mozart. The Wiener Kammersymphonie was founded in 2006, Mozart’s 250th year of birth. During that year the ensemble fully dedicated itself to the music of the Austrian composer. “I have a great admiration for Mozart. He has written so many pieces, and they are all of a high quality. He wrote a lot of that music at a very young age. His musical brain must already have been massively developed by then. Music of such a talented composer cannot be missed on a festival like this.”
Order here your tickets here for the opening concert 'All roads lead to Bach' with the Wiener Kammersymphonie and the Scholtes and Janssens Piano Duo on Thursday 10 October.
