B Like Britain Ludmila Berlinskaya & Arthur Ancelle

• Arnold Bax (1883 - 1953):
• 1 Hardanger 03:31
• 2 The Poisoned Fountain 05:19
• 3 Moy Mell 09:55
• Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976): Two Pieces, Op. 23:
• 4 Two Pieces, Op. 23: I. Introduction and Rondo alla Burlesca 08:16
• 5 Two Pieces, Op. 23: II. Mazurka Elegiaca 06:33
• York Bowen (1884 - 1961): Theme and Variations for Two Pianos, Op. 139:
• 6 Theme and Variations for Two Pianos, Op. 139: Theme 00:46
• 7 Theme and Variations for Two Pianos, Op. 139: Variation I 00:45
• 8 Theme and Variations for Two Pianos, Op. 139: Variation II 00:30
• 9 Theme and Variations for Two Pianos, Op. 139: Variation III 00:41
• 10 Theme and Variations for Two Pianos, Op. 139: Variation IV 00:50
• 11 Theme and Variations for Two Pianos, Op. 139: Variation V 02:35
• 12 Theme and Variations for Two Pianos, Op. 139: Variation VI 01:49
• 13 Theme and Variations for Two Pianos, Op. 139: Variation VII 00:36
• 14 Theme and Variations for Two Pianos, Op. 139: Variation VIII 00:50
• 15 Theme and Variations for Two Pianos, Op. 139: Interlude 01:18
• 16 Theme and Variations for Two Pianos, Op. 139: Variation IX - Finale 03:15
• Richard Rodney Bennett (1936 - 2012): Divertimento for Two Pianos:
• 17 Divertimento for Two Pianos: Samba Triste 03:11
• 18 Divertimento for Two Pianos: Country Blues 03:27
• 19 Divertimento for Two Pianos: Ragtime Waltz 02:24
• 20 Divertimento for Two Pianos: Finale 03:01
• Total Runtime 59:32

Info for B Like Britain

The new album recorded by the piano duo of Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle on the Melodiya label is dedicated to English music of the 20th century. This is the third release in the series “Two pianos Originals Project” presented by Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle on Melodiya. Since 2011 the tandem of two remarkable pianists has captured the listeners’ hearts in Russia, Europe and Asia. Their joint performances and recordings have received international prizes and been acclaimed by music critics. If the first two releases were dedicated to original compositions in the genre of piano duet of Russian and French composers, this time the duo suggests to listeners to make a journey through Albion. The name of the album “B” like Britain ingeniously plays with the fact that the names of all composers begin with the same letter and all of them belong to British musical culture. The representatives of the so-called “English Musical Renaissance” Arnold Bax and York Bowen, a renowned classic of the twentieth century music Benjamin Britten, and a three-time Oscar nominee Richard Rodney Bennett with his combination of jazz and post-war avant-garde experiments – this is how the musicians see a half-century profile of British musical culture in the mirror of the genre of piano duet. The most demanding gourmets and a broader circle of classical music lovers alike will enjoy this surprise and paradoxical programme.

Arthur Ancelle, piano
Ludmila Berlinskaya, piano

Arthur Ancelle
A free spirit among the pianists of his generation, Arthur Ancelle is noteworthy for his musical commitment, for the finesse and intelligence of his playing, for his non-conformism, as well as for the artistry of his piano transcriptions.

Arthur began to play the pianos at the age of three and the study of harmony when he was seven years old; he has obtained degrees in chamber music and in music pedagogy, and he received his Artist Diploma from the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris. He holds multiple prizes from numerous international competitions from France, Russia, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, or Australia, which have given him the opportunity to play in some of the greatest concert halls in the world, such as Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Moscow and Saint-Petersburg Philharmonic Halls, Salle Gaveau and Salle Cortot…

Arthur Ancelle’s records stand out thanks to Arthur’s thorough research, which often leads him to question certain traditions of interpretation in the repertoire he approaches:

In Chopin’s works, his favorite composer, Arthur Ancelle “purges decades worth of expressive clichés from these over-recorded scores” (Gramophone), with “an obvious tone carried by considerable pianistic means” (artamag’); considering the “exceptional emotional saturation and the depth of the interpretation”, Piano Forum is “certain that he is in a position to open the way to a new interpretation of Chopin”.

Arthur Ancelle’s encounters with the composer probably have something to do with the “astonishing” (Classica) and “indisputable” (concertonet.com) authority with which Arthur Ancelle interprets Henri Dutilleux’s main works. “A milestone in the history of records” (Le Monde), “one of the best amongst all existing recordings” (Piano Forum).

Intelligent, witty, innovative, adventurous, free, inventive, lively, blazing, the epithets are not lacking to describe Arthur Ancelle’s revolutionary interpretation of Haydn’s sonatas. “Going to the edge of improvisation” (Cadences, France Musique), “Ancelle wants to captivate attention, so much so that we wonder what will happen, and he succeeds” (Classica).

Well known for his piano duo with Ludmila Berlinskaya, who was originally his teacher, Arthur Ancelle benefits from a pianistic education coming from several great Russian schools. While following an atypical career path, he developed his artistry alongside several professors whose varied teachings provided precepts passed on by the successors of Heinrich Neuhaus, Alexander Goldenweiser, Lev Oborin, Yakov Zak or Konstantin Igumnov. His education and French culture have also nourished his technique and pianistic approach.

As a piano duo with Ludmila Berlinskaya, he has been invited by the Musical Summitsin Gstaad, the Moscow December Nights Festival, the Tokyo Spring Festival, the Rota das Artesin Lisboa, the Lisztomanias, the Solistes à Bagatelle, or the Pianofolies du Touquet in France. In Russia, they perform every year in the finest concert halls of Moscow and Saint Petersburg and are invited by prestigious orchestras such as Saint-Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra or Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra.

Their recordings, frequently rewarded by music critics (Editor’s Choice Gramophone, Pianist Maestro, Must Concertonet, Clic Classiquenews, 5 Diapasons etc.), offer several of Arthur Ancelle’s own transcriptions, some of which have been published by renowned music publishing companies, Jurgenson and Chant du Monde. “Master transcriber” (classiquenews), Arthur Ancelle mainly puts spirit before the letter, music and pianism alon guide his writing technique, which “gives and effect of coherence and accomplishment” (resmusica), where we “quickly forget the original orchestration of the score” (concertonet) so that these “super transcriptions” (musicweb-international) are thus recognized as “further major addition to the two-piano literature” (Gramophone).

A tireless explorer of the repertoire, impassioned by conceiving music programs, believing that it is necessary to go beyond the rigidity of the usual concert format, he aims to break down barriers in order to free the artistic message, which alone can define a concert’s form and weave a strong connection with the public.

In this sense, the artistic direction of the “La Clé des Portes” festival, intimately thought out with Ludmila Berlinskaya, gives him an ideal springboard for his wish for sharing, freethinking and experimentation.

Ludmila Berlinskaya
“Honoured Artist of Russia”, first prize winner at every international competition she participated in, Ludmila Berlinskaya played on the most prestigious stages in the world, including the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Wigmore, Barbican and Royal Albert Halls in London, la Fenice in Venice, the Royal Academy of Brussels, the National Auditorium in Madrid, the City Hall of Hong Kong, St. Petersburg Philharmony and all major halls of Moscow, where she grew up. She is regularly invited to prestigious festivals such as La Roque d’Anthéron, Colmar, Auvers sur Oise, Aix en Provence, Evian, Kuhmo, Edinburgh, Aldeburgh, Orlando, Stavanger, Portogruaro Festivals etc.

Having first performed with the Borodin Quartet when she was 14, chamber music always was an important part of her life, she shared the stage with the most renowned artists of the international scene such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Yuri Bashmet, Ivry Gitlis, as well as several generations of great musicians among which Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Paul Meyer, Gérard Caussé, Alexander Knyazev, Gautier Capuçon, Henri Demarquette, Alena Baeva, Valentin Uryupin, Christian-Pierre La Marca… and a very high number of concerts in quintet with the Modigliani, Orlando, Fine Arts, Ardeo, Danel, St. Petersburg, New Russian Quartets etc.

Raised among the soviet cultural elite, her father being the cellist Valentin Berlinsky, founder of the legendary Borodin Quartet, Ludmila Berlinskaya brilliantly completed her studies at the Gnessin School of Music and the Moscow Conservatory.

Immersed since childhood in the music of Shostakovich, she is now considered one of its finest performers. She plays all over the world his entire chamber music repertoire with piano, including rare and unpublished works.

Above all, she was fortunate to be part of a close circle around the pianist Sviatoslav Richter. She had the privilege to play with him, to replace him for his own production of Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw and to benefit from his attentive guidance to her artistic freedom. In 2015, Ludmila Berlinskaya was invited in several countries as a performer to celebrate Richter’s centenary.

Among a generous discography, Ludmila Berlinskaia has recorded works by Rachmaninov, Glinka, Schnittke, Mendelssohn, Janacek, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Scriabine, Liszt, Schumann, Beethoven, Medtner, Ravel…

A Melodiya artist since 2013, she recorded no less than 8 new albums in 5 years for the prestigious Russian label, and was awarded numerous prizes, among which Choc de Classica and Gramophone’s Editor’s Choice.

Since 2011, she has formed a piano duo with French pianist Arthur Ancelle : drawing their strength from their taste for sharing, taking risks, and exploring, they are a symbiotic couple on and off stage. Their multi-awarded recordings are praised internationally, they are invited by prestigious festivals (Tokyo Spring Festival, Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, Lisztomanias…) and orchestras (St Petersburg Philharmonic, Freiburg Philharmonic…). Together, they created « La Clé des Portes », a music festival taking place within the magical surroundings of the Loire Castles. They also contribute by training the next generations of pianists, both teaching at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris.

This album contains no booklet.