Music on Thursdays
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Thursday 17th August 2023
12.30 lunchtime
Piano à Deux
Linda Ang Stoodley & Robert Stoodley
piano 4 hands
Programme
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Sonata for Piano Four Hands in D major Op 6 (1796-97)
1 Allegro molto
2 Rondo. Moderato
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, known as
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Allegro Brillant Op 92 (1841)
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
arr Franz Bendel (1833-1874), Linda Ang, Robert Stoodley
Hungarian Rhapsody No 2, S.244/2 (1841) Lento a capriccio
George Gershwin (1898-1937)
arr Linda Ang, Robert Stoodley
An American in Paris (1928)
Concert duration approx: 40 minutes
LCAS Outreach: Next month, on 27th September, Piano à Deux will give two short concerts for the pupils of Leatherhead Trinity Primary School. The LCAS Charity will fund the visit to encourage take-up of piano lessons at the School.
If you wish to donate to our Trinity Fund, please write Trinity on your Gift Aid envelope and the amount you wish to give. The balance will be used to fund today's concert.
Please donate to help fund these concerts at: cafdonate.cafonline.org/14455
Piano à Deux
The journey so far
Contrary to expectations, Robert and Linda did not meet through music, but on a dating website. They discovered much in common, and married in 2008. Piano à Deux was formed in 2010.
Unexpectedly, their research has both informed their playing of the standard repertoire and led to their discovery of neglected composers like George Onslow. Their latest CD: France Revisited recorded for the Divine Art label, includes his Op 7 Duo Sonata, his six solo pieces, Debussy’s Petite Suite and songs by Poulenc (arranged by Linda).
Their first CD was released in 2011 to glowing reviews. Through this, “Piano à Deux” and their audiences, have raised £2,000 for charities like WorldVision. In 2015, they were on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune with the award-winning violinist Erzhan Kulibaev.
Their charisma, comedy and virtuosity, set in scintillating original arrangements, has won them a large following on land and sea.
Robert Stoodley
Robert studied with Dorothea Law, who was a student of Paul Baumgartner and Alfred Brendel (Vienna). He has performing and teaching diplomas from the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music.
Robert, a linguist, studied Hindi instead of Chinese, not knowing that he would one day marry a Mandarin speaker. Combining linguistic and musical studies, he gained the Premier Prix at the Conservatoire de Lyon, France, has broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and given recitals and concerto performances throughout the UK.
Some of Robert’s songs have been published and are sung throughout the world. Some have been recorded, the most recent recording being “St Michael-le-Belfrey – the Vinyl Years”.
Linda Ang Stoodley
Singapore-born pianist Linda read a BMus at Edinburgh, and obtained several diplomas before relocating to London’s Guildhall School of Music. She became a prizewinner with awards like the Royal Overseas League Accompanist’s Prize and was harpsichordist of the Guildhall String Ensemble when they won the Internationales Jeunesses Musicales Competition in Belgrade. Their European tour ended in Spain where Linda performed Bach’s Fifth Brandenburg Concerto with world renowned flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal.
Linda has since focused on the piano, and performed extensively in the UK, Europe, Mauritius and Singapore; on Dutch and Mauritius television, Radio Scotland, Radio Oxford, Radio 3; and live on Classic FM and Premier Radio. She has recorded with several artistes and has released seven CDs of her own.
Linda was featured in the Singapore Straits Times and the Singapore Airlines In-flight Magazine and as cover girl for Woman Alive magazine.
In 2002, Janet Fairlie and Linda created Diva, Diva” delighting cruise line passengers on Crystal, Cunard, Holland America & Regent Sevenseas. Then, in 2005, each Diva stepped out, Janet into London’s West End, and Linda to touring with her solo shows which have met with critical acclaim on land as well as on luxury cruise lines like Silversea & Seabourn.
Contrary to expectations, Robert and Linda did not meet through music, but on a dating website. They discovered much in common, and married in 2008. Piano à Deux was formed in 2010.
Unexpectedly, their research has both informed their playing of the standard repertoire and led to their discovery of neglected composers like George Onslow. Their latest CD: France Revisited recorded for the Divine Art label, includes his Op 7 Duo Sonata, his six solo pieces, Debussy’s Petite Suite and songs by Poulenc (arranged by Linda).
Their first CD was released in 2011 to glowing reviews. Through this, “Piano à Deux” and their audiences, have raised £2,000 for charities like WorldVision. In 2015, they were on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune with the award-winning violinist Erzhan Kulibaev.
Their charisma, comedy and virtuosity, set in scintillating original arrangements, has won them a large following on land and sea.
Robert Stoodley
Robert studied with Dorothea Law, who was a student of Paul Baumgartner and Alfred Brendel (Vienna). He has performing and teaching diplomas from the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music.
Robert, a linguist, studied Hindi instead of Chinese, not knowing that he would one day marry a Mandarin speaker. Combining linguistic and musical studies, he gained the Premier Prix at the Conservatoire de Lyon, France, has broadcast on BBC Radio 4, and given recitals and concerto performances throughout the UK.
Some of Robert’s songs have been published and are sung throughout the world. Some have been recorded, the most recent recording being “St Michael-le-Belfrey – the Vinyl Years”.
Linda Ang Stoodley
Singapore-born pianist Linda read a BMus at Edinburgh, and obtained several diplomas before relocating to London’s Guildhall School of Music. She became a prizewinner with awards like the Royal Overseas League Accompanist’s Prize and was harpsichordist of the Guildhall String Ensemble when they won the Internationales Jeunesses Musicales Competition in Belgrade. Their European tour ended in Spain where Linda performed Bach’s Fifth Brandenburg Concerto with world renowned flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal.
Linda has since focused on the piano, and performed extensively in the UK, Europe, Mauritius and Singapore; on Dutch and Mauritius television, Radio Scotland, Radio Oxford, Radio 3; and live on Classic FM and Premier Radio. She has recorded with several artistes and has released seven CDs of her own.
Linda was featured in the Singapore Straits Times and the Singapore Airlines In-flight Magazine and as cover girl for Woman Alive magazine.
In 2002, Janet Fairlie and Linda created Diva, Diva” delighting cruise line passengers on Crystal, Cunard, Holland America & Regent Sevenseas. Then, in 2005, each Diva stepped out, Janet into London’s West End, and Linda to touring with her solo shows which have met with critical acclaim on land as well as on luxury cruise lines like Silversea & Seabourn.
Recordings of the works in today's concert
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Sonata for Piano Four Hands in D major Op 6 (1796-97)
1 Allegro molto • 2 Rondo. Moderato
We open with a very familiar short theme which will keep recurring. Literally the first four notes of this will return time and again.
The pianists are the Dutch Jussen brothers, Lucas and three and a half years his junior, Arthur. The Japanese subtitles are explained by this being a performance in Tokyo's Sumida Triphony Hall in 2015.
Sonata for Piano Four Hands in D major Op 6 (1796-97)
1 Allegro molto • 2 Rondo. Moderato
We open with a very familiar short theme which will keep recurring. Literally the first four notes of this will return time and again.
The pianists are the Dutch Jussen brothers, Lucas and three and a half years his junior, Arthur. The Japanese subtitles are explained by this being a performance in Tokyo's Sumida Triphony Hall in 2015.
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, known as
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Allegro Brillant Op 92 (1841
Here are the same brothers, in 2020, performing the Andante and the Allegro brillant of Opus 92, in De Doelen, Rotterdam
Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
arr Franz Bendel (1833-1874), Linda Ang, Robert Stoodley
Hungarian Rhapsody No 2, S.244/2 (1841) Lento a capriccio
Here our performance comes from Alice Burla and Pierre Delignies, with Pierre doing some further arranging on Bendel's work.
They are performing in the Auditorio Sony, a chamber music venue within the Queen Sofia School of Music, Madrid, (Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia), which seats just 351 people.
George Gershwin (1898-1937)
arr Linda Ang, Robert Stoodley
An American in Paris (1928)
This has been a simply lovely concert selection from the Stodleys. For the Gershwin, however, we are going to Cheat somewhat here.
Piano à Deux will play it straight, on the day. This is just our bit of fun.
Cheat No 1: we are going to hear two pianos
Cheat No 2: there are not four hands but eight, two on each piano
Cheat No 3: there is no piano
. . . definitely worth a watch and a listen. Enjoy !
Pianists: Mischa Cheung, André Desponds, Benjamin Engeli, Stefan Wirth
Previous concert
10 August 2023 - Diphonon Duo (viola & accordion) - click here
Next concert
24 August 2023 - Thomas Ang, piano - click here
