Amy Beach Works for Piano Duo Twice as Nice

Everything is relative. This release features music by a relatively obscure composer. Further, it features a relatively obscure part of her catalog. The result is a program of exceptionally well-crafted music. Music that reveals new depths with repeated listening.

I wish Amy Cheney Beach was as familiar with audiences as other 20th Century composers. Her revival has been underway for some time now. But she's still not as well-known as her music merits (in my opinion). 

Beach was a concert pianist as well as a composer. So it's no surprise that some of her strongest compositions are for piano. Here the Genova & Dimitrov Piano Duo presents some of her least-performed piano works.

The Variations on Balkan Themes, Op. 60 was first published in 1904 for solo piano. It's challenging work. And so is the two-piano version, written in 1942. Beach takes advantage of the second piano to add depth to the music. The harmonies sound fuller, and some of the passages seem weightier. 

Beach maintains the characteristics of the Balkan folk melodies. But they're filtered through late-Romantic sensibilities. It's a blend that works quite effectively. 

Her Suite for Two Pianos Founded on Old Irish Melodies, Op. 104 does the same. The source material provides inspiration, which Beach develops in a free, rhapsodic manner. I wouldn't program it for St. Patrick's Day, but it's fine music for the rest of the year. 

The album includes two works for piano four-hands. Beach wrote this music for domestic rather than public performances. The music is less demanding for the performers than her piano duo works. But they're no less enjoyable. 

Summer Dreams, Op. 47 is suitably evocative, with light-hearted melodies and some back-and-forth between the players. 

Beach wrote the Three Pieces for Piano Four Hands when she was sixteen. The music shows a composer with a fully-formed sense of style. And a performer with well-developed technique. 

The Genova & Dimitrov Piano Duo have been performing together since 1995. Their playing here is what one would expect. Two artists perfectly in synch, creating music with one vision. If you're seeking out music by women, American music, or music for piano duos, check out this release.  You won't be disappointed. I wasn't.

Amy Beach: Complete Works for Piano Duo
Genova & Dimitrov Piano Duo
CPO 555 453-2