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DVD: LIVE IN CONCERT

Audiophile Audition USA, December 2009, John Sunier

The exceptional Turkish piano twins have set new standards for duo piano playing, made many fine recordings, and are vying with the Lebeque Sisters as the world’s top female two-piano duo.

This is the first commercial DVD from the exceptional Turkish piano twins, who have set new standards for duo piano playing, made many fine recordings, and are vying with the Lebeque Sisters as the world’s top female two-piano duo. They have selected some of the best videos from their various concerts and put them together in this DVD with a short interview (in German, with subtitles) plus an excerpt from a documentary on themselves (which also includes excerpts from a few of the same performance videos).

Critics have acclaimed the amazing homogenous playing style of the Pekinel sisters, and even tout that their lively personalities and polished playing has given duo-piano recitals an improved status, similar to what it once enjoyed years ago. One element of most of their performances struck me right away, both on-screen and via the loudspeakers: Instead of nesting the two concert grands so that the two performers can see one another - as done by nearly all other piano duos - they have each grand piano set up in a row, with the raised lids facing the audience and neither able to see the other’s face. Each sister’s full concentration is on the other, but using their ears instead of their eyes. They claim when the lids are removed from the two nested grands - as commonly done - the second piano (further from the edge of the stage) loses 65% of its sound quality because the sound goes straight up and not towards the audience. In addition to the improved separation in the concert hall, the recording benefits from much better spatial separation of the two pianos - something I’ve been pulling for for years.

The opening Mozart two-piano concerto is an absolute delight. The sisters played it at their debut in Turkey when they were only nine years old, and one couldn’t ask for a better backing orchestra than the London musicians and Sir Colin Davis. Also, the sonics on this video are a cut about the rest of the DVD, with better video gear and famed recording engineer Tony Faulkner responsible for the soundtrack.

The rest of the main program was videotaped at two concerts in Switzerland and is not as high resolution as on the Mozart concerto, but remains very enjoyable viewing. I’m very attracted to two-piano programs of any sort, and one cannot avoid being attracted to these two ravishing, somewhat exotic personalities. They may have even more pizazz than the Lebeques! The only slight detraction to get past is that the sisters tend to move their mouths most of the time while playing, which becomes obvious in the closeups. (At least they do it silently, unlike some other pianists I won’t name…) All the other selections following the Mozart are masterful performances. Hearing the one movement of the Milhaud, I was wishing they had done the entire Scaramouche Suite. While most listeners would probably prefer the Piano Quintet version of the Brahms, the sisters do the two-piano version in impeccable style. The excerpt of the Bach Triple Concerto, jazzed up with the Jacques Loussier Trio, is a kick - also wanted to hear more of that. It shows the Pekinels are into the crossover area, as are many other piano duos.

Der neue Merker, 02.02.2010

GÜHER & SÜHER PEKİNEL

Live Concert Recordings, London (5/07), Luzern (11/06) and Zurich (1/07)

At the begining , each of the Turkish pianist sisters was aiming to have a solo career. However, when they had to share the first prize in competitions over and over again, they were encouraged to play together. The interview conducted with the two artists is very interesting; the offered live performances of Francis Poulenc, Darius Milhaud, Johannes Brahms and Witold Lutoslawski are played together at the concerts and the music (bonus pieces) they make with Jacques Loussier are all very enjoyable. – a must DVD for all piano lovers out there!

Amazon.de, 26.12.2009

101 349 GÜHER & SÜHER PEKINEL

5.0 of 5 Stars,
Elegant Musicality, 26. Dezember 2009, J Scott Morrison (Middlebury VT, USA)

Güher and Süher Pekinel bring a combination of musical elegance, physical glamor and

slight exoticism arising from their origins in Turkey. They have been recording artists for

a couple of decades but this is, as far as I know, their first DVD. It is cobbled together

from live performances in London, Lucerne and Zurich. The two-piano repertoire is not

large and all the works featured here are staples of two-piano concerts: Mozart's and

Poulenc's Two Piano Concertos, the Brahms Two Piano Sonata, the Lutoslawski Paganini

Variations and a single movement from Milhaud's Scaramouche Suite. All the

performances are impeccable and engaging.

The performance of the Mozart Concerto, with Sir Colin Davis leading the English

Chamber Orchestra, is as marvelous as any I've ever heard. The Pekinels and the ECO

are in perfect harmony. The Poulenc Concerto is marked by exceedingly fast tempi in

the outer movements but are done with exceeding élan which, of course, they require.

The middle movement is sultry and exotic.

The Paganini Variations of Lutoslawski are given a brilliant performance. The Brahms

Two Piano Sonata, which is the precursor to its final form as Brahms's Piano Quintet,

has never been my cup of tea largely because I much prefer the Piano Quintet version.

But the Pekinels bring a studied earnestness to it that makes a good case for it.

The Pekinel twins use an unusual stage set-up. Their pianos are not nested as in most

two-piano concerts with orchestra, nor are they side-by-side as in most two-piano

recitals. They both face the same direction but are staggered so that neither pianist can

see the other's face or hands. This arrangement is, as far as I know, unique to the

Pekinels and they describe their preference for it in the booklet notes.

Among the extras are some trailers or short clips featuring bits of performances with

Jacques Loussier in Bach, a bit of the Rachmaninoff Suite, an arrangement of one of the

movements of Vivaldi's Seasons, and some jazz. There is also an interview (in German

with subtitles) that is printed word-for-word in the booklet,

Güher & Süher Pekinel Live in Concert

Recorded live at the Cadogan Hall in London (2007), Zurich’s Tonhalle (2007) and at the openning concert of the 2006 Lucerne Piano Festival, Güher and Süher Pekinel bring musical style and visual glamour to everything they play. They sit facing stage left in staggered formation (rather than in parallel or facing each other) and what immediately sets them apart from, say, the Labèque sisters, is the seamless integration of their musical personalities and technical proclivities. Splitting hairs, Güher’s staccato (most noticeably in Mozart’s two piano concerto) has a tad more warmth. Süher’s fractionally more sparkle, but in all other respects they sound like a natural extension of the same musical being. Ensemble is effortlessly precise (never merely clinical) and whatever the technical pressure involved - as witness the daringly swift tempo they adopt for the scherzo of Brahms’s duo sonata (the earlier version of the Piano Quintet)- they retain absolute composure at all times.
So delightful an experience is it to watch these highly gifted sisters at work that it feels almost unchivalrous to cavil.
It is difficult to imagine a more surpassingly lovely account of the Poulenc, especially the heart-stopping slow movement, which the Pekinels play with time-suspending restraint. They also capture the infectious rhythms of Milhaud’s Brazileira with captivating flair and imagination. Their Mozart is delightfully poised and tonally ravishing, if not especially characterful and they throw off Lutoslawski’s Paganini Variations with enviable panache. However despite the phenomenal skill and expertise involved, the Brahms Sonata lacks the power and sense of threat that this overwhelming masterpiece would seem to cry out for.
The interview is conducted in German (with optional English subtitles) and offers unusually penetrating insights into the sisters’ interpretative approach

International Piano March / April 2010
Julian Haylock

101 349 GÜHER & SÜHER PEKİNEL LIVE IN CONCERT

A piano duo usually places the two pianos right next to each other as if forming one giant instrument so they can surf the melody in harmony or express ideas of profound concepts. Then, the two musicians sit down facing each other and take turns hitting the ball into the other’s court by making brief, spirited glances or gestures to one another. The sisters Katia and Marielle Labéque are a prime example of this traditional method of playing. However, a different style is employed by Güher and Süher Pekinel, who have been playing together for a long time. These identical twins are so close in spirit that they boldly place the pianos facing the same direction in order to achieve better acoustics. Even though one player only sees the other person’s back, they are in complete harmony right down to their breathing. They perform the flowery tones of Mozart’s concerto for two pianos in E flat major colorfully, without overdoing it. When played by the Pekinel sisters, Brahms’ sonata op. 34b evokes strong, melodic emotions that touch the human spirit by combining a range of different melodies. Whether skillfully playing modern classics like Francis Poulenc’s concerto or Witold Lutosławski’s Paganini Variations or performing light-hearted medleys, the sisters quickly fan the spark between them into a flame. The more recent live recordings are from the London, Zurich and Lucerne Piano Festivals. This portrait DVD also features several bonus tracks.

rondomagazin.de, 26.12.2009, Guido Fisher

Guher and Suher Pekinel: Live in Concert DVD; Classical Arthaus Musik

It seems only natural that so many of the celebrated duo piano teams over the years have also been personally connected in some significant way. On this DVD, the virtue of such closeness is vividly demonstrated with such showpieces as the Milhaud Scaramouche and Lutosławski’s brilliant Paganini Variations. The accuracy and brio of their playing of this music, which by now have become signature works for the Turkish-born women, is really impeccable. The perspective afforded by video is even more revealing, showing off remarkably similar body and hand positions, and even the same facial expressions (they both mouth the rhythms of the music in fast passages). The Poulenc, a lovely piece is suited to their glitter and precision.

This DVD is a superbly produced tribute to a true musical phenomenon, namely, Güher and Süher Pekinel. Both orchestras play very well, and it is always a treat to hear Sir Colin Davis conduct Mozart.