ZOFO perform Sirènes from Three Nocturnes (1899) by Debussy

Claude Debussy
Sirènes from Three Nocturnes
arranged for one piano-four hands by Keisuke Nakagoshi
ZOFO Eva-Maria Zimmermann & Keisuke Nakagoshi
piano four-hands
Echoes of Gamelan explores the influence of gamelan music on Western composers, as well as how our music perception changes depending on the context. Colin McPhee's transcriptions of Balinese ceremonial music are interwoven with pieces by Godowsky, Debussy, Hoist and Baumbusch. This juxtaposition prompts us to listen to each piece from outside the western tradition and to experience compositional time differently. Debussy heard gamelan music for the first time at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris. This exposure made a huge impact on his development and by extension on many composers to come. The program closes with a transcription of Balinese composer Srayamurtikanti's Speech Delay. Originally written for Balinese shadow-puppet theater instruments, this piece is dedicated to the composer's sister. Just as Debussy did with Western classical music more than a hundred years ago, Srayamurtikanti is exploring the outer reaches of traditional gamelan music.
Since joining forces as a professional duo in 2009, internationally acclaimed solo pianists Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi-ZOFO-have electrified audiences from Carnegie Hall to Tokyo Japan with their dazzling artistry and outside-the-box thematic programming for piano-four-hands. This GRAMMY-nominated, prize-winning Steinway Artist Ensemble-one of only a handful-of duos worldwide devoted exclusively to piano duets-is blazing a ,bold new path for four-hands groups by focusing on 20th and 21st century repertoire and by commissioning new works from noted composers each year.
ZOFO, which is shorthand for 20-finger orchestra (Z$C320 and FO=finger orchestra), also performs heart-pumping duet arrangements of famous orchestral pieces such as Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, exploring the realms in which many composers first experienced their symphonic visions. They believe that the piano
duet is the most intimate form of chamber music, with two musicians playing individual parts on one instrument in a complex, often beautiful choreography of four hands.
Dynamic Swiss pianist Eva-Maria Zimmermann has appeared as soloist in Europe and the United States, offering performances that are "breathtakingly intense" (Der Bund) and "passionate and deeply expressive" (Berner Oberlander). Her engagements have included recitals as well as concerto performances with major symphonies, such as the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Winner of the prestigious Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship, Ms. Zimmermann has appeared at international festivals worldwide, including the Festival Piano en Saintonge, France, the Sommerfestspiele Marten in Switzerland, and San Francisco's Other Minds Festival of New Music. As an educator, Eva-Maria has been a faculty member of the University of San Francisco and currently teaches in the music program at the Nueva School in Hillsborough, founded by Sir Yehudi Menuhin. Eva-Maria resides in San Francisco.
Keisuke Nakagoshi began his piano studies at the age of ten, arriving in the United States from Japan at the age of 18. Mr. Nakagoshi earned his Bachelor's degree in Composition and Master's degree in Chamber Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Graduating as the recipient of multiple top awards, Keisuke was selected to represent the SFCM for the Kennedy Center's Conservatory Project, a program featuring the most promising young musicians from major conservatories across the United States. He has since performed to acclaim on prestigious concert stages across the United States, including the Kennedy
Center, Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. He enjoys collaborating with other accomplished musicians such as Lucy Shelton, Ian Swensen, Jodi Levitz, Robin Sutherland, Lev Polyakin, Axel Strauss, Mark Kosower, Gary Schocker and also conductors such as Alasdair Neale, George Daugherty, Nicole Paiement, Michael Tilson Thomas and Herbert Blomstedt. Mr. Nakagoshi is Pianist-in-Residence at The San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the award winning Opera Parallèle. He resides in San Francisco.
Recorded live April, 26th 2024 at Old First Concerts, 1751 Sacramento St, San Francisco, CA 94109. For more upcoming concerts please visit oldfirstconcerts.org