Zuk Piano Duo at Pollack Concert Hall

by Thomas Davidson

Luba and Ireneus Zuk returned to the Schulich School of Music’s Pollack Hall at McGill University in Montreal on February 1 and were greeted by an enthusiastic audience that was treated to a concert of two-piano, four-hand artistry. As expected, the Zuk Piano Duo delivered a mature and musically sensitive performance.

The programme opened with the Fantasy, Opus 11 by Max Bruch - a thickly textured work that evoked the sonorities of a pipe organ. The Zuks sustained the large-scale breadth of the work with finely balanced playing. The interweaving lines of the counterpoint were passed seamlessly back and forth between pianos.

Three works by Ukrainian composers were presented next. Two of these were written especially for the Luba and Ireneus Zuk Piano Duo. The first, entitled Dramatic Triptych by Lesia Dychko was originally written in 1993. The work was substantially revised in 2000 and it was this version that was played at the evening’s performance. A plaintive and haunting character established at the beginning of the piece became brighter and more hopeful by the end of the work. The use of folk elements was notable throughout.

The second half opened with Ukrainian Dance by George Fiala. This Ukrainian Canadian composer captured the spirit of the dance, ably supported by an excellent interpretation by the Zuks. The performance here brought out the playful character of the music and maintained interest throughout by beautifully exploiting tonal colours and orchestrations in the music.

The third Ukrainian work, Five Ornaments, by Halyna Ovcharenko was a premire performance. This is a complex and intriguing piece that explored metre, rhythmic syncopation and articulation. This piece left one hoping for more listening opportunities in the near future.

The programme ended with an elegant, stylish and well-balanced performance of Schubert Waltzes, transcribed for two pianos by Sergei Prokofiev.

In keeping with the success of the performance, the performers were enthusiastically persuaded into two encores: Andante from Sonatina by Ihor Bilohrud and Danse bresillienne (Brazilian Dance) by Roger Matton.