A Piano Duo Concert at the Broadmoor Hotel

It has been a privilege to count Linda King as a friend, fellow choir member, neighbor, and also a mentor. She is known around these parts as an outstanding piano teacher boasting award-winning National Federation of Music Club students for years, even decades.  In addition she is CEO and President of the United States International Duo Piano Competition.  The past two years I've been exposed to this side of King's reign over the duo piano realm as I was recruited to hear and evaluate all entries to be considered for the unique event.

Part of this duty includes an invitation to attend the competition held at none other than the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. If you've been privileged enough to stay at this 5-star, historic hotel, you'll know that I, along with my husband, are not suffering.

After a delicious dinner at the Summit Restaurant, we attended the first concert of the 4-day event featuring piano duo team Julia Amada Kruger and Victor Bunin.  I figured I'd write a synopsis of the entire experience upon my return home but this evening program was more than tolerable, more than admirable. It was good and spurred this post. It was so enjoyable, my husband--who was given the option to leave between numbers if he wished--remained for the entire concert. Why? Partially because the duo invited a flautist, Mario Puerini, to join them on a couple of numbers which provided a variety of textures and also because the selections were relatively brief. However, what captivated our attention and kept us in our seats were the pieces composed by Alexander Rosenblatt.  Oh my, what fun to hear  his quirky quotes of classics within a contemporary flair.  Spicy and unpredictable harmonies combined with snippets of familiarity all within a creative framework served to please both performers and listeners alike.

The performers themselves were adequate. Julia Amada Kruger was especially fun to observe but those pesky sheets slipping from the piano rack and music stand along with tricky page turns were distracting. In my humble opinion, an iPad score reader would serve them well along with a Page Flip or Airturn :-).

More to come but in the mean time, enjoy listening to Rosenblatt's "Carmen Fantasy" on themes from the opera by George Bizet, one of the featured selections of the evening concerts.

http://youtu.be/Gr_bcd8Nt58