Louis Lortie & Hélène Mercier Presented by Liszt Academy

The story of the duo comprising two Canadian pianists, Louis Lortie and Hélène Mercier, stretches back decades, thus the experience of their chamber music formation with a long history comes into play. In Debussy’s symphonic poem The Sea, the audience is treated to the transplantation of exciting orchestral timbres and delicate tonal nuances into the piano. The writing of Rachmaninov’s first suite (Fantaisie-Tableaux, 1893) coincided with disturbing events. The then 20-year-old Rachmaninov dedicated the work to Tchaikovsky, who accepted the invitation to attend the premiere but died just a few weeks before completion of the work – all of these waves of emotion are articulated in the music with surprising maturity. While Suite No. 1 reflects the composer’s youthful fervour, Symphonic Dances completed in 1940 is far more reflective. The world premiere in 1942 saw Rachmaninov and Vladimir Horowitz on stage, with the great composer in the twilight of his life.