In the venue of classical piano recitals, the difference between a piano duet and duo pianists is the difference between water and sky.
On Thursday, two celebrated concert pianists, Julian Gargiulo and Maria Yefimova will perform dually — that is, four hands on one piano.
Gargiulo, who was born and educated in Italy, but holds dual U.S. and Italian citizenship, refers to this delicate balance of performing as “Due corpi un anima.”
“We are two bodies, one soul,” he said, by way of translation, adding that he occasionally performs this way with Yefimova, a good friend and his ex-wife.
The program will consist of four-hand works, as well as alternating solo pieces with Julian guiding the audience through the evening’s repertoire. He actually had to transcribe some music they perform together, such as “Scaramouche — Brazileira” composed by Darius Milhaud and three of Brahms’ “Hungarian Dances” which he refers to as “light and fun pieces.”
Gargiulo will solo on Beethoven’s “Sonata opus 31, No.2” known as “The Tempest,” while each take a turn at Chopin waltzes, the “Fantasy Impromptu” and the “Nocturne in C Minor.” Alexander Scriabin’s “8 Preludes, Opus 11”will also be featured on the program, along with Claude Debussy’s “La Cathedrale Engloutie” and “L’isle joyeuse.”
“It’s really fun to have this joint musical experience and feel the energy of the other person,” said Maria Yefimova, a Russian-born pianist who quickly established herself internationally as a recitalist, chamber musician and orchestra soloist.
The duos, she added, “require a lot of concentration because you have to be free to do your part, but you must be receptive to the other person,” a task Yefimova is up to, having known Gargiulo for a long time, his technique and what to expect.
“Still, as personalities, we are different,” she said. “[And] we are working together to create something different.
Gargiulo, who received his Master’s degree at the Peabody Conservatory and his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at the University of Maryland, is all about “different” and perhaps a touch of rebellion.
“I don’t want people to tell me how to present a concert,” he said. “I like a program to be free [and] for the audiences to have fun and enjoy themselves.”
DUO PIANISTS
Julian Gargiulo and Maria Yefimova
Venue: An die Musik LIVE!
409 North Charles St., Baltimore,
When: 8 p.m. Thursday
Tickets: $15
Info.: 410.385.2638; www.andiemusiklive.com
