Vienna Musik verein : “Zürcher”

“....Everything was out of the common! The twin pianists Güher and Süher Pekinel play the Bach double Concerto in c  minor, as one was used to hear it in the good old days of Karajan. Romantically structured with powerful colors.The refinement of their  touch brings  their interpretation  into an ascending virtuosic whirlwind.The harmony between the two pianos and the Orchestra was astonishing.”

Kronenzeitung, 27.11.2003

“When  Gods smile”

“The Pekinel duo and the Jacques Loussier Trio have given  a genuinely remarkable evening to the Festival Public,broadcasted live by Radio SWR and  ARD TV tonight.

...Together with the strong support of the two ladies,the  three gentlemen (the Loussier trio) expanded considerably the inner dynamics of their unique interpretation of Bach’s D-Moll Concerto and unchained, all together, a musical language that made the Deities smile and an expert public roar with applause.”

R.K. Schwetzinger Zeitung – 5/8/9.5.2002

“ Love and Virtuosity”

Musikverein :  Vienna Symphony Orchestra / Zagrosek

“....The Turkish twins Güher and Süher Pekinel are duo pianist of international reputation.

They ,therefore,form an ideal team for the interpretation of the Concerto for two pianos of Mozart KV 365.

Their pianos were not placed face to face,but one behind the other.Nevertheless,these two beautiful women,dressed one in silver,the other in golden colors,mastered every minute detail of their performance without even glancing at each other! Their interpretation was sparkling with energy,animated with a thundering virtuosity and a spectacular clarity.Zagrosek with his Orchestra contributed ambitiously and creatively to the evolution of this team.

The piece chosen by the twins to display their virtuosity in the encore,”Lutoslawski’s Paganini Variations”,overshadowed anything that I have ever heard played by two pianos.”

”Herbert Muller-Wiener Zeitung, 9/10.11.2002

“Back to Fore”

Master Concert with the Pekinel Duo and Jacques Loussier Trio at the “Kieler Schloss”

“Although belonging to different centuries,the twin nature of Classical Music and Jazz has been claimed and disclaimed repeatedly.Following the piano duo Pekinel through their eloquent and elegant interpretation of their musical “escapade” with Bach’s C Major concerto BWV 1061 , one assists at   Bach’s work  being transformed and enhanced irresistibly into a liberating ligthness.

A  vivid freshness is endlessly bubbling out from Güher and Süher Pekinel’s hands through their striking dialogue, whilst performing a sacral service of Bach’s work.”

Kieler News – 5 .May. 2002

 “The Pekinel sisters : pianistic temperament “

Monte Carlo Philarmonic / Walter Weller

“Displaying a strong temperament,the Pekinel sisters were able to make their instruments sound in an overwhelmingly captivating way. Strength  and  profoundness,lyricism without risk of confusion between sensitivity and sentimentality,the interweaving of nuances and whispers.           Enough to make of Mozart a feast!

But the musical dialogue developped  even more forcefully through the Lutoslawski’s Paganini Variations, until one had to remain breathless.This is a partition that becomes even more lively under the fingers of the two soloists .

Apart from affirming their personalities,Güher and Süher found in this music the perfect ground to display their talent.A talent that oscillates between necessary tensions,salutory relaxations and a powerful mastering of the means of expression.”

Jean-Marie Fiorucci -  Monaco December 2002

“Amadeus at the piano”

The Zurich Mozart Festival begins

“Public admiration followed the  duo pianists Güher and Süher Pekinel all through  their  opening concert of the Zurich Mozart Festival when they played both of the Salzburg Concertos for double piano and Orchestra F-major KV 242 and E-flat major KV 365.A matured art of interpretation allows  them  the freedom to emphasize the expressiveness and lyrical quality of this music.”

Alfred Zimmerlin, Neue Zuricher Zeitung – 14.5.2001

Yediot Aharonot October 16, 2000

It worked like a shock. The Turkish twin sisters, Güher and Süher Pekinel, gave a sweeping and amazing performance of Poulenc's Concerto for two pianos. They "go wild" with the music and have a lovely touch. They play with charming colors and even in style, and with a subtle sense of humor.On the background of the situation and the somber mood [in Israel], the Turkish sisters released wonderful musical energy. A miracle orccurred on the backgorund of the "Intifada".

 

Der Spiegel December 2000

The pianists, born in Istanbul, belong as a piano-duo to the world's leading ensembles which they demonstrate here with Sir Neville Marriner, the Philharmonia orchestra and concerts for two pianos by Mozart, Bruch and Mendelssohn: brilliant playing full of temperament.

 

Neue Zürcher Zeitung July 2000

Right from the beginning, with the unisono trills, the twins introduce themselves as a perfectly harmonized duo. Sometimes they come across as one person, at other times they lead a lively musical conversation. Even the most subtle nuances were coordinated together and showed an unanimity of souls, far beyond the technical.



 other recent reviews

"...They play with an unanimity of concept and style that is little short of amazing. Performances of such liveliness, personality, flair and polish could well give the art of duo piano playing a respectability, not to mention an enjoyability, it hasn't known in ages."
Chicago Tribune

"The Pekinel sisters are Turkish identical twins. Possessed with a sixth sense, they have formed what is possibly the most intriguing piano duo now before the public. And on Monday at Wigmore Hall the playing positively brimmed over with zest and a most infectious personal charm."
Daily Telegraph

"As identical twins playing in a piano duo, the Pekinel sisters ... have an uncanny, almost telepathic ability to match each other to a microsecond in even the most elaborate rubato. It really is like hearing a single player."
The Guardian, London

"In a well-rounded program ... one could marvel at their unbelievably homogenous playing, their temperament and the beauty of their balanced touch. Couples, sisters and brothers are often ideal duo teams, but the uniqü ability to breathe and phrase together is possibly reserved for twins."
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

"The assuredness and mastery that Güher and Süher Pekinel demonstrate at two pianos is really amazing ... every entrance is accurate, the tone of the interplay is absolutely in agreement, the breathing is phrased together, the treatment of rubati and sforzati is governed with absolute unison ... a demonstration of highly concentrated musicianship. The public was electrified.
Süddeutsche Zeitung, Munich

"The sight of a personal unity divided between two ravishing personalities is fascinating. Both sisters display an unerring technical and incomparable sensitivity. The audience was, of course, overwhelmed."
Le Figaro, Paris

"The Pekinels also made us imagine many orchestral colors and demonstrated that they were master of the dynamic nuances and the rhythmic abandon typical of this immense score (Stravinsky's Rite of Spring)."
Corriere della Sera, Milan

"This was a performance of refinement seldom experienced."
Ha'aretz, Tel Aviv