Claire Aebersold and Ralph Neiweem make beautiful music together as duo partners. They also provide an opportunity for others to do the same as co-founders of the Chicago Duo Piano Festival which celebrates its 36th year, July 7-15, at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Ave. in Evanston.
The husband-and-wife, who are the Piano Duo in Residence at the Music Institute of Chicago, will lead off the festival, performing a Gala Opening Concert, at 3 p.m. July 7.
Ralph Neiweem and Claire Aebersold are co-founders of the Chicago Duo Piano Festival, which is in its 36th year. The festival runs from July 7-15 at Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston. (Organic Headshots) “We’re starting off with Mozart’s ‘Magic Flute Overture;’ that is an arrangement by the Italian pianist Busoni,” Neiweem said.
“It’s very popular and a piece that I think the kids can relate to as well.” “It’s a lot of fun to play,” Aebersold added. That will be followed by “Variations in A Flat Major on an Original Theme” by Franz Schubert.
Neiweem noted that Schubert wrote the largest amount of four-hand music of any composer. “Then we’re playing the beautiful impressionistic pieces of Debussy and Ravel,” Aebersold said. Those are “Habnera, Feria from Rapsodie Espagnole” by Ravel and “Petite Suite” by Debussy.
The program will close with “Don Juan Fantasy” by Franz Liszt. “He takes themes from Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni,’ and he incorporates them into a little mini-drama f.
