Beethoven Works For Piano Four Hands

Long-time duo partners Peter Hill and Benjamin Frith present a survey of Beethoven's complete output for piano four hands. Works from his early years in Bonn and from the period of the 'Eroica Symphony', a decade later, are joined by a unique masterpiece from the year before his death. In 1826 Beethoven was persuaded to publish an arrangement for piano duet of the 'Grosse Fuge', finale of the 'String Quartet in B Flat, Op 130', which had astonished and bewildered listeners at the 'Quartet's' first performance. He took great care over the arrangement, effectively re-imagining the work in terms of the piano, for example in exploiting the added sonority of the bass (Beethoven's Broadwood piano extended an octave below the C string of the cello). The result is a tour de force of pianistic virtuosity.