I decompressed from a short vacation by heading back into the thick of things over the weekend, catching a musical Friday night (more on that anon) and then three concerts in a 22 -hour stretch Saturday-Sunday (not that I'm looking for a medal or anything -- I just don't want you to think I've been lounging around eating bonbons).
The first of the concerts afforded me an opportunity to hear keyboard talents of considerable note in an exceedingly imaginative program. Saturday night's performance, part of the An die Musik Live series, was built around Bach, without actually any 100-percent authentic Bach being played. This was, in essence, a celebration of counterpoint and transcription.
The first half of the concert featured the Stephanie & Saar Duo. Stephanie Ho and Saar Ahuvia, who studied at Peabody, have been building a fine career built around duet and two-piano repertoire.
There is such a large amount of terrific music for four hands -- utilizing one or two keyboards -- and we don't get to hear nearly enough of it in concert. For this appearance, Ho and Ahuvia explored mostly off-the-beaten-path items by Bach (and a couple by Frescobali), as transcribed by important contemporary composer Gyorgy Kurtag.