Piano Recital IV – Kociuban / Maximov

The wide tonal range of the piano gives composers the space to create the most complex structures. Sometimes, however, one piano is not enough and two appear on stage, deepening the majesty of the piano's sound spectrum. The First Suite for two pianos was written by Sergei Rachmaninoff in the summer of 1893 as his musical representation of four poems that had enchanted him during his stay in Kharkov. The Second Suite was written in Italy. After a four-year compositional crisis caused by the poor reception of the first symphony, Rachmaninoff's creativity and desire to compose returned. Russian Rhapsody and Symphonic Dances offer a contrast between the young eighteen-year-old self and his older, life- and world-marked version of the Russian composer. Polish pianist Julia Kociuban and Russian pianist Ilya Maximov gave the Bratislava audience the opportunity to hear them play as a duo for the first time in 2018.