Twin sisters Güher and Süher Pekinel may be relatively obscure in the world of recorded classical music, not even as well known as the Labèque sisters, but they are one of the best regularly performing and recording piano duo teams around and deserve more attention. They tend to stick to the traditional two piano repetoire and give reliably solid, very true-to-the-music performances that are nevertheless energetic and attractively artistic. The Pekinels have an almost terse articulation, making the decay of the piano's ...
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Twin sisters Güher and Süher Pekinel may be relatively obscure in the world of recorded classical music, not even as well known as the Labèque sisters, but they are one of the best regularly performing and recording piano duo teams around and deserve more attention. They tend to stick to the traditional two piano repetoire and give reliably solid, very true-to-the-music performances that are nevertheless energetic and attractively artistic. The Pekinels have an almost terse articulation, making the decay of the piano's sound more noticeably immediate, but it is key to the consistency of their performances. The broad resonance picked up in this recording's sound partially compensates for what some may miss in their touch. The major works on this disc -- the Brahms' Sonata, Op. 34b, and the Saint-Saëns Variations on a Theme of Beethoven -- are quintessential examples of their style. Every movement of the sonata has something that draws the listener in. The first has its hushed opening that suddenly...
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