Ludmila Berlinskaya & Arthur Ancelle - Russian Last Romantics (2019)

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Ludmila Berlinskaya & Arthur Ancelle - Russian Last Romantics (2019)

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“Honoured Artist of Russia”, first prize winner at every international competition she participated in, Ludmila Berlinskaya played on the most prestigious stages in the world, including the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Wigmore, Barbican and Royal Albert Halls in London, la Fenice in Venice, the Royal Academy of Brussels, the National Auditorium in Madrid, the City Hall of Hong Kong, St. Petersburg Philharmony and all major halls of Moscow, where she grew up. She is regularly invited to prestigious festivals such as La Roque d’Anthéron, Colmar, Auvers sur Oise, Aix en Provence, Evian, Kuhmo, Edinburgh, Aldeburgh, Orlando, Stavanger, Portogruaro Festivals etc.

Having first performed with the Borodin Quartet when she was 14, chamber music always was an important part of her life, she shared the stage with the most renowned artists of the international scene such as Mstislav Rostropovich, Yuri Bashmet, Ivry Gitlis, as well as several generations of great musicians among which Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Paul Meyer, Gérard Caussé, Alexander Knyazev, Gautier Capuçon, Henri Demarquette, Alena Baeva, Valentin Uryupin, Christian-Pierre La Marca… and a very high number of concerts in quintet with the Modigliani, Orlando, Fine Arts, Ardeo, Danel, St. Petersburg, New Russian Quartets etc.

Raised among the soviet cultural elite, her father being the cellist Valentin Berlinsky, founder of the legendary Borodin Quartet, Ludmila Berlinskaya brilliantly completed her studies at the Gnessin School of Music and the Moscow Conservatory.
Immersed since childhood in the music of Shostakovich, she is now considered one of its finest performers. She plays all over the world his entire chamber music repertoire with piano, including rare and unpublished works.
Above all, she was fortunate to be part of a close circle around the pianist Sviatoslav Richter. She had the privilege to play with him, to replace him for his own production of Benjamin Britten’s Turn of the Screw and to benefit from his attentive guidance to her artistic freedom. In 2015, Ludmila Berlinskaya was invited in several countries as a performer to celebrate Richter’s centenary.

Among a generous discography, Ludmila Berlinskaia has recorded works by Rachmaninov, Glinka, Schnittke, Mendelssohn, Janacek, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Scriabine, Liszt, Schumann, Beethoven, Medtner, Ravel…
A Melodiya artist since 2013, she recorded no less than 8 new albums in 5 years for the prestigious russian label, and was awarded numerous prizes, among which Choc de Classica and Gramophone’s Editor’s Choice.

Since 2011, she has formed a piano duo with French pianist Arthur Ancelle : drawing their strength from their taste for sharing, taking risks, and exploring, they are a symbiotic couple on and off stage. Their multi-awarded recordings are praised internationally, they are invited by prestigious festivals (Tokyo Spring Festival, Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, Lisztomanias…) and orchestras (St Petersburg Philharmonic, Freiburg Philharmonic…). Together, they created « La Clé des Portes », a music festival taking place within the magical surroundings of the Loire Castles. They also contribute by training the next generations of pianists, both teaching at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris.

Second volume of the « 2-pianos originals project »

Nikolai Medtner (1880–1951)
Two Pieces for two pianos, Op. 58

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943)
Suite No. 2 for two pianos, Op. 17

Alexander Glazunov (1865–1936)
Fantasy for two pianos in F minor, Op. 104

Ludmila Berlinskaya, Arthur Ancelle - pianos

Recorded in the Grand Hall of Moscow Philharmony 2
Sound Engineer : Maria Soboleva

The anecdote : Rachmaninoff’s second suite for 2 pianos is the first piece written by the composer after a long depression, four years during which he couldn’t write a single note. This depression came after the unsuccess of his 1st symphony, which was poorly conducted on its premiere by… Alexander Glazunov. The Suite n°2 for two pianos was written simultaneously with Rachmaninoff’s second piano concerto, probably his most famous piece.