Rachmaninov Suites

Leuven has a new concert series! In veelbeLEUVENd, young talent from Leuven will perform classical music. After all, Leuven is bursting with talent and has a rich classical music scene. Through this series, we offer young, enthusiastic musicians the much-needed concert opportunities at the start of their career.

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2023 - or the year in which we celebrate Sergei Rachmaninoff’s 150th birthday - will be wrapped up in style by piano duo Kirsten Gedeshi and Lenny Bui-Vandeput, who will show off their virtuosity by performing Rachmaninoff’s dazzling suites for two pianos.

Rachmaninoff is known for his virtuoso piano music, and these suites are the perfect example. First, we hear a passionate Fantaisie-tableaux, which evokes many nature scenes, such as rippling water and the chirping of birds. Young Sergei specially dedicated this work to his great example Tchaikovsky, which he managed to translate into richly coloured musical textures and the overwhelming and lush expressiveness.

This early work contrasts sharply with Suite No. 2, one of the greatest and most important works in the two-piano formation. The piece is characterised by the underlying nostalgia, contains passionate climaxes and is coloured by his compositional mastery. The parts of the two pianos are masterfully fused and are almost indistinguishable. The virtuosity and lyricism that the music requires from both pianists is extremely impressive.

This Leuven piano duo was formed at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels in 2019. They are currently completing a master’s degree in chamber music in this particular formation. Two pianos, under the watchful eye of Liebrecht Vanbeckevoort and Julien Libeer.

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piano  Kirsten Gedeshi and Lenny Bui-Vandeput