Duplex-Piano – Das Klavier mit zwei Manualen

The concert opens with music by Johannes Brahms, paying tribute to Brahms as a native of Hamburg, where he was born. The program continues with late Romantic masterpieces. In his work »Der Wind,« Franz Schreker creates a fascinating, expressionist soundscape. Ernst von Dohnányi’s sextet is a richly varied dialogue between the various string and wind instruments and the piano. Emanuel Moór’s piano trio offers magnificent musical expression. It was Emanuel Moór who designed the special two-manual piano featured in the concert: the Duplex Piano. »A double wonder of sound« (DIE ZEIT), »Timbres rarely heard before« (Hamburger Abendblatt), »orchestral power« (Neue Musikzeitung)—the Duplex Piano generated significant media attention.



Around 1920, Emanuel Moór had a vision to build the piano of the future. His Duplex Piano offers even more timbres and greater sonority. On a conventional piano, pressing a key causes a hammer to strike a string. On the Duplex Piano, two hammers can be coupled: pressing a key then produces two notes simultaneously. This doubling of the notes results in an unprecedented richness of sound at forte and an enchanting brilliance at piano. The duplex piano was used by the finest musicians of the time (the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic) and crafted by the most renowned piano builders (Bechstein, Bösendorfer, Steinway).

November 9 is a day of remembrance in Germany for the victims of the pogroms of November 9, 1938. The concert also references this. Schreker, Moór, and Dohnányi were affected in different ways by the violence of National Socialism. For example, the development of the duplex piano came to an abrupt halt in 1938, and the instrument fell into obscurity. This concert rediscovers it.

PERFORMERS

Rebekka Hartmann violin

Elisabeth Kufferath viola

David Stromberg violoncello

Adrián Díaz Martínez french horn

Shirley Brill clarinet

Florian Uhlig piano

PROGRAM

Johannes Brahms
Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25

Franz Schreker
Der Wind / Tanzallegorie für Klaviertrio, Klarinette und Horn

- Interval -

Emánuel Moór
Allegro moderato für Klaviertrio C-Dur op. 81

Ernst von Dohnányi
Sextet in C major, Op. 37 for Clarinet, Horn, Violin, Viola, Violoncello and Piano