PIANO DUO
“Their sense of ensemble and timing were impeccable, the balance flawless, and the musicality exceptional. It was a joy for us to have them on the series.”
-D. H. Horisberger, Coordinator, Music in the Nave, Lake Forest, IL
“Concerts come and concerts go. (However) this afternoon of music was an event in which temporal time stood still and pure radiance enveloped us all. Any intervening time before they return will be far too long!”
-D Kaye, Music Director, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Flint, MI
“In total, it was a rare experience to hear a well-chosen program played with deep feeling and understanding of the music. Artistry such as this enhances the human experience.”
-D. E. Ferrara, The Flint (MI) Journal
“...these performers show the piano duet at its best. “
-J. Harvey, The Indianapolis Star
:...these brilliant, smiling pianists conquered the public with their romantic manner of interpretation, performing with inspiration Schubert, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel and Barber (in the Great Hall of the Stolyarsky school.) And in the program of Gala concert on the stage of the Philharmonic Society the Americans performed several highly technically demanding pieces, earning a large ovation with the Waltzes from the opera “Der Rosenkavalier” by Richard Strauss."
-Vechernyaya Odessa, Odessa, Ukraine
PRESS KIT
Described as “consummate practitioners of pianism” (The Washington Post), Claire Aebersold and Ralph Neiweem enjoy an international career as exponents of music for both piano duet and two keyboards. Their innovative programming reflects the full gamut of this delightful repertoire, from four-hand works of Mozart, Schubert, and Brahms, to favorite lighter masterpieces by Poulenc and Milhaud, and contemporary works championed or commissioned by Aebersold and Neiweem.
Aebersold and Neiweem have been heard on television and radio, appeared with orchestras internationally, and they have been heard in recital in many cities throughout the USA and Europe, including more than 200 recitals throughout Tuscany and Umbria. Additionally, they have given master classes and workshops throughout the United States.
Aebersold and Neiweem’s CDs include “Four-Hand Reflections,” the world premiere recording of the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in the composer’s own arrangement for one piano, four-hands, and volumes 1 and 2 of a complete traversal of Schubert’s four-hand music, praised by Gramophone Magazine as “utterly charming...warmly recommended.”
Claire Aebersold and Ralph Neiweem met in Italy in 1970 as young solo performers at a music festival in Umbria. They were married in 1973 and have devoted themselves to the exclusive study of the duo repertoire since 1981. Claire Aebersold is a native of Oak Ridge, Tennessee and is a graduate of the New England Conservatory. Ralph Neiweem hails from Evanston, Illinois and is a graduate of the Juilliard School. Both completed graduate studies at Northwestern University and received artist diplomas from Villa Schifanoia in Florence, Italy. Their common teachers include Irwin Freundlich, Theodore Lettvin, John Browning, and Orazio Frugoni, at whose urging they became a duo. They currently reside in Chicago, and are Artists-in-Residence at the Music Institute of Chicago.
