Dance-inspired music by 4 people on 2 pianos coming to concert in Chilliwack

Eight hands will dance across two pianos in an upcoming concert at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre.

Marcel and Elizabeth Bergmann (the Bergmann Duo) will return for their first show of the season in a concert that will celebrate the versatility of the piano in Dancing with Eight Hands. They will be joined by the Duo Turgeon on Friday, Sept. 23.

With a program centred on dance-inspired works, Dancing with Eight Hands features Latin-American music such as Lecuona’s Malagueña, Tangos by Astor Piazzolla as well as Weber’s elegant Invitation to the Dance.

The Duo Turgeon and the Bergmann Duo have built a relationship performing together.

“We get so much enjoyment out of playing when we’re all together that I’m really looking forward to the lightness and fun we’ll have with our audience,” said Elizabeth. “You’ll get to see that not only do we have to communicate with our own partner, but then we have that extra communication that we have to have with the other couple at their piano.

“Both of us are duos, and so we’re bringing them together, to create an ensemble called the Canadian Piano Quartet. The repertoire will be us doing a lot of transcriptions. We’ll be playing a lot of pieces that are well known as orchestral repertoires, but that have been transcribed for two pianos,” she said.

“There will be not only so much to listen to, but so much to watch, because there are two pianos and eight hands working together.”

Dancing with Eight Hands is coming to the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on Sept. 23 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $29, and can be purchased at the Centre Box Office, online at www.chilliwackculturalcentre.ca, or by calling 604-391-SHOW(7469).

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