The Canarian interpreters Esther Ropón and Laura Gordo present their new record of two pianos in concert From East to West, recorded at Sala de Cámara in Auditorio de Tenerife last February. The recital, to take place at 7:30 pm on Saturday, the 27 at Sala de Cámara, features the main pieces for two pianos from the 1940s and 50s composed by Copland, Shostakovich, Stravinsky and Bernstein.

The harmonic variety, timbre and colour of the music of this period can be appreciated by two pianos playing live. The cultural revolution brought by the Second World War and the post-war years meant the rebirth of classical music thanks to new sources of popular inspiration, influenced by deeply-rooted folklore and the new jazz and blues trends. These are harmonies which greatly enriched the musical language of these restless decades.

Tickets are available at Auditorio de Tenerife box office from  10:00 am to 7:30 pm, Monday to Saturday except holidays; on www.auditoriodetenerife.com  or calling 902 317 327.

Billy the Kid or, as named by the composer, The Open Prairie is a ballet that is presented here for two pianos as arranged by the composer himself, Aaron Copland. Esther Ropón explains that “this great musical activist evokes images from the far west including caravans and carts transported by a powerful march and a great display of melodies and polyrhythms which recall cowboy scenes”.

However, “under this apparent western, there is a harmony that is strongly influenced by Stravinsky at its most Parisian style, who a few years later, premiered in Paris his Sonata for two pianos, inspired by popular melodies with sharp counterpoints”, the pianist explains. The piece, which was originally conceived for one piano, follows the traditional sonata pattern in three movements, altered by a theme of variations in its second movement which grants the work a marked choral character.

A few years later, in 1953, Shostakovich created his Concertino for two pianos, a piece that has clear nationalist influences, in which the melody plays a leading role with popular dancers taken from Russian folklore. Ropón reflects: “if in the East, Shostakovich gave up his experimental years (a year later he was named artist of the people),  on the other side of the globe, Leonard Bernstein created, under his particular vision of music for everyone, one of the most emblematic American pieces of the 20th century: West Side Story”.

This is a piece of theatrical music that would later lead to his Suite for Symphonic Dances, adapted for this concert for two pianos by composer John Musto. Bebop melodies, Latin rhythms, influences from jazz and blues come together in this love story with a tragic ending. “It’s a masterpiece in a bold language, which has been masterfully brought to the adaptation for two pianos we are presenting in this programme”, declares the pianist.

Tenerife-born Esther Ropón studied in the Canary Islands, Barcelona and Berlin. A pianist and teacher at the Conservatorio Profesional de Música de Tenerife, she is also a cultural manager and researcher. She is currently doing her doctorate at the Universidad de Girona, under the research programme UNESCO Chair on Cultural Policies and Cooperation.

Laura Gordo was born in Gran Canaria. She has been accompanying piano teacher at Conservatorio Profesional de Música de Santa Cruz de Tenerife since 2011. She combines teaching and artistic activities as she gives chamber music concerts and participates as a pianist in different music festivals in Spain.

The performers set up their duo in 2013 with the aim of looking into the repertoire of the 20th century for two pianos and four hands.