Lucas & Arthur Jussen - Piano Percussion Project Presented by Liszt Academy

The Jussen brothers open the summer season in the Grand Hall with a program of 20th-century and contemporary works. The concert begins with a tribute to Béla Bartók, marking 80 years since his passing. Bartók’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion – premiered in 1938 with the composer and his wife, Ditta Pásztory, at the pianos – reveals the most forward-looking side of his musical genius. The evening continues with a new composition by one of the percussionists performing on stage, before turning to three American composers after the intermission. George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue blurs not only the boundaries between classical and jazz harmonies but also nearly erases the line separating formal structure from improvisational freedom. In the orchestral suite from Bernstein’s West Side Story, the composer himself reworked the musical’s key events and themes into nine symphonic tableaux that follow the dramatic arc of the story. The final piece, originally conceived as a fanfare and popularized in its original orchestral version, was inspired by a real-life experience of John Adams. After taking a friend’s new sports car for a test drive, Adams captured the exhilarating mix of fear and excitement.