Duo Caron is a

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

group who transcribe and perform great

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

l works for various piano formations.

History

Born in

Rimouski Rimouski ( ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. Rimouski is located in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, at the mouth of the Rimouski River. It has a population of 48,935 (as of 2021). Rimouski is the site of Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR), the C ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada, sibling

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

s Josee and Martin Caron have lived in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

for several years. They started collaborating under the name Duo Caron in 1990. Since 2020, the duo Caron has brought together pianists Carmen Picard and Josee Caron. The team's mandate remains the same, namely the interpretation of their own arrangements of orchestral works for two pianos and for

piano duet According to the ''Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', there are two kinds of piano duet: "those for two players at one instrument, and those in which each of the two pianists has an instrument to themself." In American usage the former is ...

. Their thematic album (2023) brings together different styles of 20th century Suites. The originality of this project has earned them numerous concert appearances such as national and international festivals.

Premieres

Alan Belkin Alan Belkin (born July 5, 1951) is a Canadians, Canadian composer, organist, pianist as well as a pedagogue. Early life Alan Belkin was born in Montreal. He began piano studies with Philip Cohen, then he studied organ with Dom André Laberge a ...

's ''Petite Suite'' for two pianos, commissioned by the Duo Caron, was premiered by Duo Caron in Montreal's Claude-Champagne Concert Hall. In 1998, the Quebec International Duo-Piano Festival commissioned to Martin Caron a

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

transcription for two pianos eight hands, " Strike up the Band", premiered at the Gala Concert, ''pour terminer l'événement de façon spectaculaire'', such as Mr. Arthur Kaptainis pointed out: ::

« The grand finale was Strike Up The Band, the lively Gershwin tune, as transcribed by Martin Caron and played at two pianos by the Carons with Morel and Nemish. It was pure fun, a fitting tribute to the composer in his centenary year.

Duo Caron's recordings include a CD of

post-Romantic Post-romanticism or Postromanticism refers to a range of cultural endeavors and attitudes emerging in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, after the period of Romanticism. Post-romanticism in literature The period of post-romantici ...

works and another of works by

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

, about which Heléna Bowkun wrote : ::

« Orchestral transcriptions for piano duo may not be everybody’s cup of tea �� The brave and entrepreneurial duo Caron demonstrates that, when such arrangements are well played, they can be very effective. ��The pianists must be congratulated for their fine articulation throughout this entire disc. Things are always clear—never pounded out—and played with a lively, sparkling sound. Listeners who approach the album for what it is. as opposed to what it cannot be (a real symphony orchestra), will find it succeeds very well.

Released in 2009, the CD ''British Music for Piano Four Hands'' includes two new arrangements by Martin Caron of

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

's works. ''L’Avantage'' noted "''Précision remarquable''" about the interpretation of

William Walton Sir William Turner Walton (29 March 19028 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include ''Façade'', the cantat ...

's ''Music for Children''. James Harrington from ''

American Record Guide The ''American Record Guide'' (''ARG'') is a classical music magazine. It has reviewed classical music recordings since 1935. History and profile The magazine was founded by Peter Hugh Reed in May 1935 as the ''American Music Lover''. It chang ...

'' qualified this CD as a "wonderful release": ::

« Canadian sister and brother Josee and Martin Caron, playing a gorgeous sounding Italian Fazioli piano in the Historic Chapel of the Bon-Pasteur in Montreal, offer an engaging program of British music for piano four hands. �� The very effective duet arrangements are by Martin Caron �� However you may feel about a pop composer being treated equally with more luminary names among British classical composers, I must admit that after a number of hearings of this wonderful release, it is the McCartney tunes that I catch myself humming. »

Their recordings are broadcast on CBC, SRC
"Radio Classique" CJPXCKUA Radio Network
Edmonton, and RTBF Radi

Belgium.

Transcriptions by Josee Caron

For Piano Duet

Gustav Holst Gustav Theodore Holst (born Gustavus Theodore von Holst; 21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934) was an English composer, arranger and teacher. Best known for his orchestral suite ''The Planets'', he composed many other works across a range ...

(1874-1934): The Planets opus 32, Suite for large Orchestra ** I. ''Mars, the Bringer of War'' ** IV. ''Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity''

Transcriptions by Martin Caron

For Two Pianos‚ Four Hands

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sy ...

(1809–1847): Symphony No 4 in A major ''Italian'' *

Modest Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...

(1839–1881): ''

Night on Bald Mountain ''Night on Bald Mountain'' (russian: Ночь на лысой горе, translit=Noch′ na lysoy gore, links=no), also known as ''Night on the Bare Mountain'', is a series of compositions by Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881). Inspired by Russian ...

''‚ symphonic poem *

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

(1874–1951): ''

Verklärte Nacht ''Verklärte Nacht'' (''Transfigured Night''), Op. 4, is a string sextet in one movement composed by Arnold Schoenberg in 1899. Composed in just three weeks, it is considered his earliest important work. It was inspired by Richard Dehmel's poe ...

'' op. 4 for string sextet ("Transfigured Night") *

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...

(1864–1949): ** ''

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni (Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, '' El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra'' ...

'' op, 20‚ symphonic poem ** ''

Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks ''Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks'' (german: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, ), Opus number, Op. 28, is a tone poem written in 1894–95 by Richard Strauss. It chronicles the misadventures and pranks of the German peasant folk hero Till Eul ...

'', symphonic poem ** ''

Metamorphosen ''Metamorphosen,'' study for 23 solo strings (TrV 290, AV 142) is a composition by Richard Strauss for ten violins, five violas, five cellos, and three double basses, typically lasting 25 to 30 minutes. It was composed during the closing months ...

'', study for 23 solo strings *

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

(1840–1893): Symphony No. 4 in F minor‚ op. 36 *

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

(1813–1883):

Overture Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overt ...

from the

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (; "The Master-Singers of Nuremberg"), WWV 96, is a music drama, or opera, in three acts, by Richard Wagner. It is the longest opera commonly performed, taking nearly four and a half hours, not counting two breaks between acts, and is traditio ...

For Piano Duet

Sir Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

(1857–1934): Introduction and Allegro for Strings Op. 47 *

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

(1872–1958): Overture from the opera ''

The Wasps ''The Wasps'' ( grc-x-classical, Σφῆκες, translit=Sphēkes) is the fourth in chronological order of the eleven surviving plays by Aristophanes. It was produced at the Lenaia festival in 422 BC, during Athens' short-lived respite from the ...

For Four Pianos‚ Eight Pianists

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

(1873–1943): '' Isle of the Dead'' op. 29‚ symphonic poem *

(1840–1893): Symphony No. 4 in F minor‚ op. 36

For Two Pianos‚ Four Pianists

(1898–1937): "Strike up the Band"

Arrangements by Martin Caron

For Piano Duet

(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 ATMA Classique is a Canadian record label based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1994 by Johanne Goyette, the company has close to 600 titles in its catalogue and distributes in over 25 countries and on the internet. Several recordings released by ...

, ACD 2-2102) * 2009 - ''British Music for Piano Four Hands''
''XXI-21 Productions Inc.''
« XXI-21 Productions Inc.'' »
from

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

. Retrieved April 18, 2023. XXI-CD 2 1603) * 2012 - ''Mendelssohn‚ Transcriptions for 4 hands''
''Société Métropolitaine du Disque Inc./Espace 21''
SMD 225-1) * 2023 - ''Modern Four-Hand Suites''
''Société Métropolitaine du Disque Inc./Espace 21''
SMD 312-1)

Footnotes

Citations

References

from

Arnold Schönberg Center The Arnold Schönberg Center, established in 1998 in Vienna, is a repository of Arnold Schönberg's archival legacy and a cultural center that is open to the public. Activities Archive and library, exhibitions, concerts, lectures, workshops and ...

: pour deux pianos quatre mains = for two pianos four hands.''
CD entry in McGill University Library (on WorldCat).
''Transcriptions pour deux pianos, quatre mains''
CD entry in Iris Catalogue''

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec The Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec ( 'National Library and Archives of Quebec') or BAnQ is a Quebec government agency which manages the province's legal deposit system, national archives, and national library. Located at the Gr ...

''.
Caron: Tchaikovsky : 4 mains= hands''
CD entry in

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the OCL ...

, Retrieved March 15, 2012.
''Tchaïkovski, 4 mains = 4 hands''
entry in Iris Catalogue''

''. *
Tchaïkovsky_4_mains_[sound_recording
=_Tchaïkovsky_4_hands.''.html" ;"title="ound recording">Tchaïkovsky 4 mains ound_recording">Tchaïkovsky_4_mains_[sound_recording
=_Tchaïkovsky_4_hands.''CD_entry_in_University_of_Maryland_Libraries.html" ;"title="ound recording
= Tchaïkovsky 4 hands.''">ound recording">Tchaïkovsky 4 mains [sound recording
= Tchaïkovsky 4 hands.''CD entry in University_of_Maryland_Libraries">University of Maryland Libraries (catalog USMAI).
4 mains, 4 hands.''
CD entry in McGill University Library (on WorldCat).
''British Music for Piano 4 Hands''
CD entry in Apple Music. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
''British music for piano four hands''
entry in Iris Catalogue ''

''.
music for piano four hands''
CD entry in Columbia University Libraries (CLIO).
''British music for piano four hands / McCartney, Vaughan Williams, Walton, Elgar.''
CD entry in University of Pennsylvania (PennLibrairies).
''British music for piano four hands.''
CD entry in

Ottawa Public Library The Ottawa Public Library (OPL; french: Bibliothèque publique d'Ottawa) is the library system of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The library was founded in 1906 with a donation from the Carnegie Foundation. Services * Information and reference servi ...

.
''Mendelssohn - Transcriptions pour 4 mains = Transcriptions for 4 hands''
CD entry in Iris Catalogue ''

''.
''Felix Mendelssohn: Transcriptions pour 4 Mains.''
CD entry in

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

.
''Modern Four-Hand Suites''
CD entry in

Deezer Deezer is a French online music streaming service. It allows users to listen to music content from record labels, as well as podcasts on various devices online or offline. Created in Paris, Deezer currently has 90 million licensed tracks in i ...

. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
''Modern Four-Hand Suites''
CD entry in

YouTube Music YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed by YouTube, a subsidiary of Google. It provides a tailored interface for the service, oriented towards music streaming, allowing users to browse through songs and music videos on YouTube based ...

. Retrieved August 11, 2023.

External links

Duo Caron Website

Rimouski, Que
entry in ''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

'' / ''The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada'' {{Authority control Musical groups established in 1990 Canadian classical music groups Musical groups from Montreal

Caron A caron (), háček or haček (, or ; plural ''háčeks'' or ''háčky'') also known as a hachek, wedge, check, kvačica, strešica, mäkčeň, varnelė, inverted circumflex, inverted hat, flying bird, inverted chevron, is a diacritic mark (� ...

Canadian musical duos 1990 establishments in Quebec