"We have two ears and one mouth," said Zeno of Elea, "therefore we should listen twice as much as we speak." This concert from the Rudolfinum in Prague is the perfect occasion to do just that, with a program of dazzling doubles by the incredible Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Maestro Semyon Bychkov and featuring renowned piano duo Katia and Marielle Labèque!
Dutilleux describes the prevailing atmosphere of his Second Symphony—the "Double," which juxtaposes a symphony orchestra with a smaller chamber ensemble—as "two characters in one, each the reflection of the other, its double." The work's mirrored structure and the dialogue between the ensembles indeed evokes the genre of the double concerto more than that of the concerto grosso, but it is in the spirit of the latter that Martinů composed his Double Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano, and Timpani (with pianist Ivo Kahánek and timpanist Michael Kroutil as soloists), as well as his Concerto for Two Pianos, twice as nice with the Labèque sisters' astonishing rapport and musicality.
