Various Artists - From Russia - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Piano arrangements were the main way for people to become acquainted with concert repertoire in Schumann's day, and publishers ensured that the huge demand for such versions was met. Otto Dresel's arrangement of the String Quartet, Op. 41, No. 3 was approved by the composer. Clara Schumann was dedicatee and soloist for the Piano Quintet, Op. 44, and she was able to draw on her intimate knowledge of her husband's work to make her own highly effective arrangement. This is the first of seven volumes including Schumann's entire orchestral works arranged for piano duet. Mariko and Volker Eckerle founded the Eckerle Piano Duoin 2006. The German-Japanese duo regularly plays central works of the piano duet repertoire along with rarely heard pieces and works, accompanied by other musicians, actors and ballet companies.

Various Artists - Russian Favourites [COMPACT DISCS] date 06/21/1996

The violinist Natalia van der Mersch, née Steurer, comes from Essen/Germany. Her extraordinary musical talent was recognized and encouraged early on by important violin teachers. The Russian violin pedagogue Zakhar Bron, who is sought after worldwide, accepted her into his master class in Lübeck. She was then invited by the famous Russian violin virtuoso Igor Oistrakh to his newly founded master class at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, where she completed her soloist training with the concert exam with great distinction. The pianist Natalia Kovalzon was born in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. After first lessons in Omsk with Natalia Korolkova and at the State Academy of Music with Alla Ouritzkaya, she continued her studies at the National Conservatory of Kyrgyzstan with Elena Gavrilova. There she received her diplomas as pianist, chamber musician, piano teacher and piano accompanist. Master classes with Daniel Blumenthal and Tatevick Mokatshian completed her pianistic education. As a passionate chamber musician, the mother of two children regularly gives concerts with musicians in Luxembourg, Belgium and France; in this context she participated in the Rencontres musicales internationales d'Enghien in 2019, among others.