CD - Symphony No. 4 - Transcription for Piano Four-Hands!
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It is important to remember that during Bruckner's time, these piano transcriptions were usually the only way that people could listen to and study Bruckner's music. Performances were extremely rare and after his death, orchestral scores became increasingly scarce. Most of Bruckner's scores were published by small Viennese music publishers. By the early twentieth century, these publishers were no longer in operation and the rights to their publications were in legal limbo. Finally, Gustav Mahler convinced the owner of Universal Music to acquire the rights, but not before Mahler had to hand over the future royalties for his first four symphonies to the publisher. So these piano transcriptions were important in the gradual reception of Bruckner's music to music lovers worldwide.
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BRUCKNER: Symphony # 4
(Transcription for Piano 4-Hands by Ferdinand Loewe
September 4, 2012 - Alter Dom, Linz
Abruckner.com BSVD-0112
The piano duo Dino Sequi and Gerhard Hofer was founded in 1999 with the intention of firmly establishing the varied and versatile repertoire for four-hand piano as well as the repertoire for two pianos in modern concert venues. Both pianists studied piano chamber music at the Salzburg Mozarteum University under Erika Frieser and have since then been giving concerts as piano duo all over Austria. Additionally, making and enjoying music together with others is important for them when teaching within the Upper Austrian Music Schools System. Apart from this they have been working all over Austria as tutors of continuing education for teachers since 2003. When putting together their programmes they especially try to arrange well thought-out concepts. Thus in one of their recent projects for the Upper Austrian series of concerts entitled "KlangFluss" (Flow of Sounds) they combined works by contemporary Upper Austrian composers with Hommages by Gyorgy Kurtag under the title "Hommage".
Dino Sequi
Born in 1965 in Venice, Dino Sequi studied from 1984 on at the "A. Steffani" Academy of Music in Castelfranco Veneto under Massimo Somenzi (piano) and Stefania Redaelli (chamber music) obtaining in 1991 his diploma with distinction. Beginning in 1994 he studied at the "Bruckner-Konservatorium" in Linz under Gottfried Hemetsberger (piano) and Nada Kecman (instrumental and vocal accompanying). He graduated in 1998 as trained teacher with distinction. In recent years he has been entirely devoted to chamber music which he has perfected under Erika Frieser at the Salzburg Mozarteum University. With her he has offered international concerts for four-hand piano and for two pianos. Since 1993 he has been teaching piano and has been repetiteur at the Wels Music School (Upper Austria).
Gerhard Hofer
Born in 1969 in Wels, Gerhard Hofer studied piano between 1984 and 1991 at the Linz "Bruckner-Konservatorium", subsequently studied at the Vienna University of Music and Dramatic Arts, and in 1993 obtained his diploma in piano pedagogy with distinction. Afterwards he studied piano chamber music at the Salzbzurg Mozarteum University under professors Erika Frieser, Andor Losonczy, Christoph Lieske and Claudius Tanski. He obtained his Mozarteum diploma in 2000. In 1994 he was awarded the Appreciation Prize of the Austrian Federal Ministry. He has attended master classes given by Alexander Jenner and the Vienna Altenberg-Trio, has presented himself nationally and internationally as soloist, as partner for chamber music and art-song accompanist, and has collaborated among others with the Salzburg Mozarteum Quartet, the Lucerne Festival Strings, the clarinetist Sharon Kam and the ensemble Spektren. Since 1989 Hofer has taught at the Marchtrenk Music School (Upper Austria), and since 2001 is head of the study group for keyboard instruments of the Upper Austrian Music Schools System.
If you want to hear Bruckner's early symphonies the way his contemporaries usually heard them, then you should listen to these performances.
