In 1764, the then eight-year-old Mozart met JC Bach in London. Mozart loved and admired this wonderful musician and his music, often quoting themes from him. JC Bach was truly Mozart’s real musical father. At their initial meeting, these two musicians reportedly played together, improvising with each other for over an hour on one keyboard. From that moment on, composing music for four hands on one keyboard became a highly significant genre.

Named after their beautiful 1848 piano, Alexandra Nepomnyashchaya and Richard Egarr have been working together as Duo Pleyel for the past seven years to bring the rich and exciting repertoire for piano four-hands to a wider public. Their latest recording, Mozart’s Real Musical Father, was BBC Music Magazine’s Instrumental Recording of the Month in January 2023. Join Duo Pleyel as they perform these works live in the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, exploring the close musical and personal relationship between JC Bach and Mozart.

‘Nepomnyashchaya and Egarr conjure a spirit of shared spontaneous delight’ (Gramophone Magazine)

Programme
Mozart Sonata in D (4-hands), K. 381
JC Bach Sonata in F (4-hands), op. 18, no. 6
Mozart Variations in G (4-hands), K. 501
JC Bach Sonata in A (4-hands), op. 18, no. 5
Mozart Sonata in B-flat (4-hands), K. 358

Read more about Richard Egarr in this feature interview with Continuo Connect.