Karl-Hermann Mrongovius & Begona Uriarte - Uruarte / Mrongovius [CD]

Begoña Uriarte of Spain and Karl-Hermann Mrongovius of Munich, where he is professor for piano at the Hochschule für Musik, form together a piano duo which has won international prizes and which avoids every kind of flashy publicity. For years they were an insider's secret among connoisseurs and music journalists, but their infrequent performances nevertheless became special events. Thus, the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" wrote in autumn 1998: "The standing ovations in the Prinzregenten theater prove it: this Basque-Bavarian piano coalition is a pianistic institution that demands all the respect of the competition... it belongs in the major leagues of the piano duos of international reputation... quite simply splendidly performed." The concert tour through Germany together with the four composers represented on this CD already was a big success and thus let the plan for this recording arise. Lacking a programmatic background, Josep Soler's "Coronación de espinas" (Crowning with thorns) is part of a series of works with biblical or mythological motifs that derive from an archetypal abstraction. "Nuevas Polifonías" reflects Ramón Barce's consideration of the problems of Gestalt psychology and the utopia of objective form in art. "Flamenco" by Joan Guinjoan forms a triptych with sound elements from Andalusian folk songs which reflects the balance between an intuitive creativity and a rigorous exploration that oversteps traditional limits of sound, rhythm, expressive intensity, instrumental possibilities, and the ability to hear. The fandango in it's multiple variations, the Portuguese fado, and the archetypal tango from Argentina have a virtual presence in Tomás Marcos "Fandangos, Fados y Tangos". In his "Glasperlenspiel" (Glass bead game) the overcoming of time with a reduced set of basic materials is achieved by the use of minimal variations that thread the motifs together like pearls on a string. Musical creativity involves a great deal of play, but it is creative play that is able to penetrate into the realm of sensibility and intelligence (Tomás Marco).