Van Muffat tot Beethoven: Richard Egarr en Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya

Duo Pleyel

Richard Egarr and Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya are both harpsichordists and pianists. The Pleyel was Frédéric Chopin's favorite instrument and has strong associations with Parisian salons and indoor music-making. Over the past four years, Duo Pleyel has performed and recorded Carl Czerny's arrangements for four hands of Beethoven's symphonies: a repertoire that Egarr knows from the stage, here transferred to the piano.

From Muffat to Beethoven

The first half features works for solo harpsichord by Muffat and Handel, followed by two movements for harpsichord four hands, one by J.C. Bach and the other by Mozart. The program begins with a selection of dances from the Suite in G , selected from Gottlieb Muffat's Componimenti Musicali (1739): a collection of harpsichord suites known for their richness of ornamentation and French-influenced style. Handel's Suite in E , HWV 430, which contains the Air with Variations (The Harmonious Blacksmith), is one of the most famous pieces in the harpsichord repertoire but is rarely performed in concert. The second half presents the Pleyel piano for Czerny's four-hand arrangement of Beethoven's 'Pastoral' Symphony.