Ferdinand Hiller; Ignaz Moscheles - Four Hands On Stage (Stephanie McCallum; Erin Helyard)

Information

Composer: Ferdinand Hiller; Ignaz Moscheles

• Hiller - Operette ohne Text, Op. 106
• Moscheles - Grande Sonate Symphonique No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 112

Stephanie McCallum & Erin Helyard, piano 4-hands

Date: 2026

Label: Toccata Next

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Before the era of recorded sound, audiences typically discovered orchestral works at home through two- or four-hand piano transcriptions. Pushing this practice beyond mere arrangement, two German-Jewish composers created pioneering, genre-defying keyboard works. Ignaz Moscheles, a protégé of Beethoven, composed a complete symphony designed for four hands at a single piano. Building upon Moscheles' innovation, Ferdinand Hiller—a close contemporary of Berlioz, Chopin, and Liszt—took the concept further by crafting an opera written entirely without singers. Long before modern terminology existed, both composers delivered bold, groundbreaking compositions that redefined the boundaries of chamber music and domestic performance.

Renowned Australian pianist Stephanie McCallum is Associate Professor at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, celebrated internationally for her virtuosity and championing of rare, technically demanding repertoire. After studies in Sydney and London with Ronald Smith, she achieved acclaim as a premier exponent of Charles-Valentin Alkan, becoming the first pianist to record both his major- and minor-key étude sets. McCallum has enjoyed a distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician, and founding member of contemporary groups like the Sydney Alpha Ensemble, while also performing on historic 19th-century instruments. Her extensive discography spans 20th-century music, Beethoven premieres, and acclaimed releases for Toccata Classics and ABC Classics.

Erin Helyard is an acclaimed conductor, musicologist, and virtuosic keyboardist specializing in the harpsichord and fortepiano. A Sydney Conservatorium and McGill University alumnus, his extensive scholarship includes a 2022 monograph published by Oxford University Studies in Enlightenment. As Artistic Director and co-founder of Pinchgut Opera and the Orchestra of the Antipodes, Helyard has earned international accolades and multiple Helpmann, ARIA, and AIR awards for excellence in musical direction. A frequent collaborator with major Australasian symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles, he was named Limelight’s Critics’ Choice Australian Artist of the Year in 2023.