Amy Beach; Dana Suesse; Victor Babin - American Dream (Ludmila Berlinskaya; Arthur Ancelle)

Information

Composer: Amy Beach; Dana Suesse; Victor Babin

• Suesse - Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra
• Beach - Suite for Two Pianos Founded Upon Old Irish Melodies, Op. 104
• Babin - Concerto No. 2 for Two Pianos and Orchestra

Ludmila Berlinskaya & Arthur Ancelle, pianos

Orchestre Victor Hugo

Jean-François Verdier & Laurent Comte, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Alpha Classics

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This program explores the "American dream" through three contrasting works. Amy Beach (1867–1944), New Hampshire–born and one of the first major American female composers, wrote a monumental two-piano suite rooted in Romanticism and inspired by Irish melodies. Nadine Dana Suesse (1909–1987), the so-called “Gershwin Girl” from Kansas City, gained early fame as a radio performer and songwriter, later studying with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Her 1943 concerto blends romantic lyricism with jazz-inflected harmonies. Finally, Russian émigré Victor Babin (1908–1972) found acclaim in the U.S. with his wife Viktoria Vronskaya as a piano duo, premiering his dazzling Second Concerto in Cleveland under George Szell in 1957.

Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle, both from distinguished musical lineages and acclaimed soloists, have forged a piano duo renowned for its deep mutual understanding, dynamic stage presence, and imaginative programming. Since 2011, they have built a repertoire spanning celebrated works for two pianos and four hands, alongside rare gems and original transcriptions by Ancelle. Performing in major venues like the Philharmonie de Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and Mariinsky Concert Hall, they also appear at prestigious festivals worldwide. With collaborations across leading orchestras and conductors, and ten award-winning albums, they are dedicated educators and artistic directors of the Piano-Piano project, promoting piano duo artistry.