Review: Stenzl Piano Duo at Nichols Concert Hall
By Marielle Shaw in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 9, 2014 4:00PM
When we first told you about the Stenzl piano duo, we mentioned the concentration necessary and the complexity of coordinating four hands on the same 88 keys. (Though that number was sometimes doubled, since we were also treated to the rare sighting of a double grand piano).
In actually watching them perform live at Nichols Hall at the Music Institute of Chicago, though, complexity and coordination were far from our minds.
Of course, there is a laser precision and synchronicity to what the Stenzl piano duo does. What strikes you while watching these two brothers play, however, is just how easy they make it seem when it’s surely anything but. Their fluidity as the duo performed two surprise Polonaises at the outset of the show was joy-inducing, in the way that watching true masters of an art form often is.
One of the best things about the pair of brothers is the range of emotion they bring to the pieces they play. This was especially evident in their beautiful performance of Schubert’s Fantasy in F Minor.
They made all the pieces come alive and built fantastic tension, so much so that we found ourselves tense in our seats as they would build to yet another thunderous crescendo. During more subdued passages, it seemed the audience could barely bring themselves to breathe in the space between notes.
The evening continued with a Busoni improvisation on a Bach chorale and selections from Mozart’s Symphony in G Minor. They capped things off with a beautifully delicate rendition of Ravel’s La Valse; poème chorégraphique.
The Stenzl brothers play with the clarity and expression of one master pianist, and watching them achieve that together was exhilarating. We could see the eager students in the audience soaking it up and warming up in their seats.
This was a show we were glad not to miss—both an inspiration and certainly a lesson in itself, and we can’t wait to see how that resonates with the students of the Music Institute. For our part, we learned that we couldn't have agreed with the New York Times’ assessment more. They truly were brilliant. We hope we weren't the only ones taking notes.