Piano 40

PIANO 40 in a concert dedicated to the memory of Carola Gindea.

On 28 November 2009, at 8.30 p.m, EPTA-Cyprus and the Larnaca Municipality are presenting a memorial concert by “Piano 40”, the original ensemble of double-duet for 8 hands on 2 pianos. Formed in 1999 - although originally known as the London Piano Quartet until 2002 - its main objective was extending interest in the neglected medium of 8 hands on 2 pianos. This was extremely popular in the nineteenth century for salon concerts enabling people to perform transcriptions of the Classical orchestral repertoire. All Beethoven Brahms and some Mozart symphonies are in this format and there are a few original works by composers such as Smetana , Moscheles, Chabrier and Gurlitt. “Piano 40”, is unique in that it is the only group of its kind in the UK, that has managed to extend the repertoire by having no fewer than 27 original works composed especially for them by contemporary composers and premiered in their South Bank Concerts every year.

“Piano 40's” concerts therefore include only works written for 8 hands on 2 pianos and not the well-known transcriptions of standard orchestral repertoire, so popular in the 19th century. To date, “Piano 40” has given 8 sold-out concerts at London's South Bank as well as appearances at the Dulwich Festival, Oxford International Piano Festival, EPTA International Conference in Budapest and at the EPTA London Conference held at Trinity College of Music. Plans include further South Bank concerts as well as concerts in Finland, Slovenia and the USA.

The musicians Jeremy Brown, Nadia Lasserson (the only daughter of Carola Grindea) Richard Deering and Craig White plan to treat the Cypriot audience to a programme of 19th Century original works and some of their most popular commissioned pieces. Tickets for the concert are sold at the Larnaca Municipal Theatre box office, tel. 24665794, or can be purchased online at www.cyprus-tickets.com. Tickets cost 10 euro.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Education and Culture, Radio EF-FM and Fairy Godmother Events