Duplex Piano – The Piano with Two Manuals

Duplex Piano – The Piano with Two Manuals

At the centre of the second Emanuel Moór concert series is the Duplex Piano – a grand piano with two manuals – developed by the composer Emanuel Moór in 1920. The two manuals enable special sound effects and with a pedal stroke all notes can be doubled. The result is an enormous sonority. But what is astonishing is that even filigree passages can be presented in a new and fascinatingly transparent way. In 2020, cellist David Stromberg discovered one of the few grand pianos of this type still playable. Together with the pianist Florian Uhlig, he had the grand piano extensively restored and has set himself the task of bringing the Duplex Piano back to the concert stage and making it possible to experience it via CD recordings.

Duplex Piano – The Piano with Two Manuals

Around 1920, the composer Emánuel Moór had the vision of building the piano of the future. His duplex piano with two manuals was born out of the spirit of the late Romantic period and offers even more tonal colours and a greater richness of sound. On an ordinary piano, one touch of the keys causes a hammer to strike the string. With the duplex piano, two hammers can be coupled: one keystroke then produces two tones simultaneously. This doubling of the tones leads to an unimagined fullness of sound in the forte, and to a magical brilliance of sound in the piano. The two manuals allow for differentiated layers of sound. The concerto is a homage to Johann Sebastian Bach. Emánuel Moór arranged one of Bach’s most famous organ works for the duplex piano: the Dorian Toccata and Fugue. Bach’s music had a profound influence on composers after him, including Schumann, Brahms and the Swiss-German composer Joachim Raff. And so the Romantics entwine themselves around Bach on this evening. Excellent soloists can be heard: Violinist Denis Goldfeld is an internationally renowned musician, violist Boris Faust teaches as a professor of viola at the Hamburg University of Music and Theatre. David Stromberg, who rediscovered the duplex piano and curates the Emánuel Moór concerts, will play the cello. Pianist Florian Uhlig is the master of the duplex piano. He was honoured with the Opus Klassik media prize and the German Record Prize for his complete recording of Robert Schumann’s piano works.

Duplex Piano – The Piano with Two Manuals

Around 1920, the composer Emánuel Moór had the vision of building the piano of the future. His duplex piano with two manuals was born out of the spirit of the late Romantic period and offers even more tonal colours and a greater richness of sound. On an ordinary piano, one touch of the keys causes a hammer to strike the string. With the duplex piano, two hammers can be coupled: one keystroke then produces two tones simultaneously. This doubling of the tones leads to an unimagined fullness of sound in the forte, and to a magical brilliance of sound in the piano. The two manuals allow for differentiated layers of sound. Emanuel Moór also developed new string instruments. His Moór violin and Moór viola will be presented at the concert. The work »Pictures at an Exhibition« was created by Modest Mussorgsky for solo piano – but it became world-famous in the orchestral arrangement by Maurice Ravel. In this concert, the work is performed in a new chamber music version with the duplex piano. Rachmaninov and Shostakovich also arranged Mussorgsky’s works and Borodin was a member of the »Group of Five« with Mussorgsky. Shostakovich wrote his Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor in 1944, reflecting the horrors of the Second World War and the loss of a friend. This concert commemorates the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death with this work. A work by Emánuel Moór also appears as a common thread in this duplex concert. Violinist Mirijam Contzen is internationally recognised as a soloist and Sony artist and teaches as a professor at the Berlin University of the Arts. Violist Hartmut Rohde is a member of the outstanding Mozart Piano Quartet. He is Professor of Viola at the Berlin University of the Arts. David Stromberg, who rediscovered the duplex piano, will play the cello. He endeavours to provide audiences with new, fascinating listening experiences, including as curator of concerts with the duplex piano. The pianist Florian Uhlig plays the duplex piano. He has been honoured with the »Opus Klassik« and »Deutscher Schallplattenpreis« media awards for his complete recording of Robert Schumann’s piano works. He performs worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician and teaches as a professor at the Lübeck University of Music.

abFRACKt: Piano to the power of two

The Two Pianos Series

The two pianists series

The Two Pianos Series

The two pianos series

The two pianos series

The two pianos series

On 2 wings