Duo Caron

Duo Caron is a classical music group who transcribed and performed great orchestral works for two pianos and piano four hands.

Biography

Born in Rimouski (Quebec, Canada), siblings pianists Josee and Martin Caron have lived in Montreal for number of years. They started collaborating under the name Duo CARON in 1990, mostly arranging and playing orchestral works for two pianos and piano duet. The originality of this project has earned them numerous concert appearances such as National and International Festivals.

Premieres

Alan Belkin’s Petite Suite for two pianos, commissioned by the Duo Caron ^[1] was premiered by Duo Caron in Montreal’s Claude-Champagne Concert Hall (June 1996). In 1998, The Quebec International Duo-Piano Festival commissioned to Martin CARON a George Gershwin’s transcription for two pianos eight hands, Strike up the Band, premiered at the Gala Concert, pour terminer l'événement de façon spectaculaire.^[2]

Released in 2009, CD British Music for Piano four Hands includes two Martin Caron’s new arrangements of Paul McCartney’s works. American Record Guide qualified this CD as a « wonderful release ».^[3] L’Avantage quote « Précision remarquable »^[4] about the interpretation of William Walton’s Music for Children. Their recordings include a CD of post-Romantic works and another of works by Tchaikovsky.^[5]

Their recordings are broadcasted on CBC, SRC, Radio Classique CJPX, CKUA Radio Network Edmonton, RTBF Radio Musiq’3 - Belgium.

Transcriptions by Martin Caron

For Two Pianos‚ Four Hands

• Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809–1847) : Symphony no 4 in A Major Italian
• Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881): Night on Bald Mountain‚ symphonic poem
• Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951):Transfigured Night op. 4 for string sextet (Verklärte Nacht)

• Richard Strauss (1864–1949):
  • Don Juan op, 20‚ symphonic poem
  • Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, symphonic poem (Till Eulenspiegel)
  • Metamorphoses, study for 23 solo strings (Metamorphosen)

• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893): Symphony no. 4 in F minor‚ op. 36

• Richard Wagner (1813–1883): Overture from the Opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

For Piano Duet

• Sir Edward Elgar (1857–1934): Introduction and Allegro for Strings Op. 47
• Sir Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958): Overture from the Opera The Wasps

For Four Pianos‚ Eight Pianists

• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943): The Isle of the Dead op. 29‚ symphonic poem
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893): Symphony no. 4 in F minor‚ op. 36

For Two Pianos‚ Four Pianists

• George Gershwin (1898–1937): Strike up the Band

Arrangements by Martin Caron

For Piano Duet

• Sir Paul McCartney (1942- ?):
  • A Leaf for Piano solo
  • Appaloosa-Meditation‚ Orchestral Suite

Discography

• 1992 - Transcriptions for Two Pianos Four Hands (Société Nouvelle d’Enregistrement, SNE-582-CD)
• 1995 - Tchaikovsky for Four Hands (ATMA Classique, ACD 2-2102)
• 2009 - British Music for Piano Four Hands (XXI-21 Productions Inc., XXI-CD 2 1603)

Footnotes

Citations

1. ^ « Worklist / Liste des œuvres » from « Alan Belkin, composer »
2. ^ « Festival international de Duo-Piano du Québec » from Voir (Archives), August 6, 1998. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
3. ^ « British piano 4-Hands Duo Caron, p XXI1603-57 minutes » from American Record Guide, issue March–April 2010, p.208
4. ^ « Josée et Martin Caron jouent McCartney » from L'Avantage online, October 13, 2009, 07:35
5. ^ « Duo Caron: British Music for Piano, Four Hands » HBDirect (Notes & Reviews). Retrieved January 14, 2011.

References

• Official website - Biography
• Martin Caron, Conservatoire de musique du Québec
• Wagner: Overture/Moussorgsky: Night On Bald Mountain/Strauss: Don Juan/Schoenberg: Transfigured Night - Josee Caron entry in allmusic
• Transcriptions pour deux pianos, quatre mains entry in Iris Catalogue – Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec
• Classical Music Magazine, vol. 19 No. 4, December 1996
• Tchaikovsky, 4 hands entry in Iris Catalogue – Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec
• Suite casse-noisette, opus 71a ; Capriccio italien, opus 45 ; Symphonie no 4 en fa mineur, opus 36 - Tchaikovsky entry in Bibliothèque de Trois-Rivières - Catalogue
• British Music for Piano, Four Hands - Duo Caron entry in allmusic
• British music for piano four hands entry in Iris Catalogue – Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec

External links

• Official WebSite
• Duo Caron entry in Catalogue of Canadian Instrumental Music part of CCIM
• Rimouski, Que entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia / The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada
• Josée et Martin Caron from Schoenberg Archives