KRISTINE AND MARGARITA BALANAS. Great string duets

REPERTOIRE

Zoltán Kodály: Duo for violin and cello, Op. 7 (1914) 25′
Pēteris Vasks: Castillo Interior (2015) 13′
Maurice Ravel: Sonata for violin and cello, M 73 (1920-1922) 21′
George Frideric Handel / Johan Halvorsen: Passacaglia from Suite No. 7 In G Minor, HWV 432, HWV 432 n. 6 (1894) 6′
Antonio Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (1723) 10′ – for violin and cello

ARTISTS

Kristine Balanas, violin
Margarita Balanas, cello

Programme

Latvian sisters Kristine and Margarita Balanas have previously captivated Catalan audiences as soloists with the OBC. Now, they return to L’Auditori in a duet format to showcase their fraternal bond and the virtuosity they can achieve as chamber performers. The two internationally renowned soloists will, on this occasion, engage with one another through some of the great works for violin and cello.

The concert will begin with Kodály’s moving Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7, which was written in 1914 against the backdrop of the impending Great War. Next, they will perform Castillo interior by fellow Latvian Peteris Vasks, a profound meditation inspired by the mystical texts of Saint Teresa of Avila, and Ravel’s Sonata for Violin and Cello, M 73, a tribute to Claude Debussy. Finally, the concert will end with pieces by two of the great names in Baroque music: Händel’s Passacaglia for harpsichord, which was subsequently arranged for strings by Johan Halvorsen, and an arrangement by the Balanas sisters themselves of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.