Ivana Alkovic & Maarten den Hengst
'“Four hands on one piano,
a spectacle of intersecting lines and dynamics!”
“The two musicians play with engaging freshness, rich in nuances and with much love for small, picturesque details. These are interpretations that show a mature musicality and great intensity, full of excitement and imagination captivating the listener from the first to the last note.''
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pizzicato, Remy Franck's Journal about Classical Music, Luxembourg
a spectacle of intersecting lines and dynamics!”
“The two musicians play with engaging freshness, rich in nuances and with much love for small, picturesque details. These are interpretations that show a mature musicality and great intensity, full of excitement and imagination captivating the listener from the first to the last note.''
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pizzicato, Remy Franck's Journal about Classical Music, Luxembourg
NEWS
ALBUM RELEASE 08.03.2024.
“VIENNA, THEME & VARIATIONS”
A new program was gradually developed. While 'Magical Garden' (the previous CD) focused on the work of French composers, this time Pianoduo Amacord recorded an album with works written in the Theme & Variation form by great (and one less well-known) Viennese composers: Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Herzogenberg.
Vienna is not only the city where the Variation Form reached its peak, it is also the city where pianists Ivana Alkovic and Maarten den Hengst met during their studies and Pianoduo Amacord was founded.
’’Vienna, Theme & Variations’’
W. A. Mozart: Andante mit Variationen , KV501
L. Van Beethoven: Acht Variationen über ein Thema des Grafen von Waldstein, WoO67
J. Brahms: Variationen über ein Thema von Robert Schumann, opus 23
H. von Herzogenberg: Variationen über ein Thema von Johannes Brahms, opus 23
F. Schubert: Acht Variationen über ein eigenes Thema, opus 35, D813
Vienna is not only the city where the Variation Form reached its peak, it is also the city where pianists Ivana Alkovic and Maarten den Hengst met during their studies and Pianoduo Amacord was founded.
’’Vienna, Theme & Variations’’
W. A. Mozart: Andante mit Variationen , KV501
L. Van Beethoven: Acht Variationen über ein Thema des Grafen von Waldstein, WoO67
J. Brahms: Variationen über ein Thema von Robert Schumann, opus 23
H. von Herzogenberg: Variationen über ein Thema von Johannes Brahms, opus 23
F. Schubert: Acht Variationen über ein eigenes Thema, opus 35, D813
Special thanks to Mozart House Vienna!
Animation movie credits: @Mozarthaus Vienna Errichtungs- und Betriebs GmbH
Animation movie credits: @Mozarthaus Vienna Errichtungs- und Betriebs GmbH
REVIEWS
"Piano duo Amacord makes the music of Viennese composers sparkle and shine
In a striking performance and with a transparent sound Ivana Alkovic and Maarten den Hengst play variations for piano-4 hands.
One city, one genre, four hands. On their second album Ivana Alkovic and Maarten den Hengst, together Piano duo Amacord, play variations for four hands by composers who lived and worked in Vienna. By choosing this city of music par excellence the Amsterdam pianist couple is fishing from a pond filled with some of the greatest of all time.
Imagination alone defines the limits of a series of variations on a theme (melody). In a form where mood and tempo are continually shifting, working together in harmony is crucial for four hands on one piano. And that is precisely the strongest quality of this duo which combines a bold playing style with a clear sound.
This sound sparkles in Mozart’s KV501 and ripples in Beethoven’s witty Waldstein-variations. Unadorned expression makes for direct emotion in Brahm’s Opus 23 and Schubert’s brilliant Variations D813.In the music of the lesser god Heinrich von Herzogenberg too, the combined musical talent of the duo speaks eloquently for itself."
Jenny Camillery, De Volkskrant, 22.03.2024
https://www.volkskrant.nl/muziek/pianoduo-amacord-laat-de-muziek-van-weense-componisten-parelen-en-bruisen~b4a1d49f/
In a striking performance and with a transparent sound Ivana Alkovic and Maarten den Hengst play variations for piano-4 hands.
One city, one genre, four hands. On their second album Ivana Alkovic and Maarten den Hengst, together Piano duo Amacord, play variations for four hands by composers who lived and worked in Vienna. By choosing this city of music par excellence the Amsterdam pianist couple is fishing from a pond filled with some of the greatest of all time.
Imagination alone defines the limits of a series of variations on a theme (melody). In a form where mood and tempo are continually shifting, working together in harmony is crucial for four hands on one piano. And that is precisely the strongest quality of this duo which combines a bold playing style with a clear sound.
This sound sparkles in Mozart’s KV501 and ripples in Beethoven’s witty Waldstein-variations. Unadorned expression makes for direct emotion in Brahm’s Opus 23 and Schubert’s brilliant Variations D813.In the music of the lesser god Heinrich von Herzogenberg too, the combined musical talent of the duo speaks eloquently for itself."
Jenny Camillery, De Volkskrant, 22.03.2024
https://www.volkskrant.nl/muziek/pianoduo-amacord-laat-de-muziek-van-weense-componisten-parelen-en-bruisen~b4a1d49f/
“Het duo Amacord maakt zijn naam in alle opzichten waar in dit uitgekiend geprogrammeerde recital. Niet alleen in het dagelijks leven, maar ook als pianospelend paar laten ze horen perfect op elkaar ingespeeld te zijn. Met spel dat technisch tot in de puntjes verzorgd is en waarvan de liefde voor dit repertoire er aan alle kanten vanaf spat. De boeiende toelichting in zowel Nederlands als Engels werd geschreven door Ignace Bossuyt en Guido Tichelman zorgde voor een warmbloedige opname die altijd helder en doorzichtig blijft.”
Opus Klassiek, Siebe Riedstra, april 2024
https://www.opusklassiek.nl/cd-recensies/cd-sr/sramacord01.htm
Opus Klassiek, Siebe Riedstra, april 2024
https://www.opusklassiek.nl/cd-recensies/cd-sr/sramacord01.htm
Imagine how the piano sounded in the time of Brahms!
Live @Weesp Chamber Music Festival:
In this video Pianoduo Amacord plays on restored Blüthner grand piano from 1865!
"Well known artists like Brahms and Schumann were welcome guests in the Blüthner house. During their musical tours the artists reported about these instruments.”
@Andriessen piano’s-vleugels (Haarlem)
Live @Weesp Chamber Music Festival:
In this video Pianoduo Amacord plays on restored Blüthner grand piano from 1865!
"Well known artists like Brahms and Schumann were welcome guests in the Blüthner house. During their musical tours the artists reported about these instruments.”
@Andriessen piano’s-vleugels (Haarlem)