Duo Caron

Duo Caron is a classical music group who transcribe and perform great orchestral works for various piano formations.

History

Born in Rimouski, Quebec, Canada, sibling pianists Josee and Martin Caron have lived in Montreal for several years. They started collaborating under the name Duo Caron in 1990.

In 1994, thanks to the unique nature of their transcriptions and the quality of the high-level interpretations, the duo received an internship grant from the Quebec-Wallonia-Brussels Agency for Youth AQWBJ, for a promotional tour in Belgium.

Following this recognition, the duo obtained a series of concert engagements, recordings and federal grants such as Musicaction. These performances earned them rave reviews.

However, after the recording of Mendelssohn, Martin Caron decided to leave the duo and devote himself exclusively to composition and teaching, a decision made by mutual agreement.

Since 2020, the duo Caron has consisted of pianists Carmen Picard and Josee Caron. The team's mandate remains the same, namely the interpretation of their own arrangements of orchestral works for two pianos and piano duets. Their thematic album (2023), described by The Music Scene as impeccable ensemble playing, brings together different styles of 20th century Suites.

Premieres

Alan Belkin's Petite Suite for two pianos, commissioned by the Duo Caron, was premiered by Duo Caron in Montreal's Claude-Champagne Concert Hall.

In 1998, the Quebec International Duo-Piano Festival commissioned for Martin Caron a George Gershwin transcription for two pianos, eight hands, "Strike up the Band", premiered at the Gala Concert, pour terminer l'événement de façon spectaculaire, such as Mr. Arthur Kaptainis pointed out:

:<div style="background: #FFFCFA; width: 85%; border-left:1px dotted #999; border-right:1px dotted #999; text-align: left"><div style="text-indent: 1em; padding-left:1em; padding-right:1em;">« The grand finale was Strike Up The Band, the lively Gershwin tune, as transcribed by Martin Caron and played at two pianos by the Carons with Morel and Nemish. It was pure fun, a fitting tribute to the composer in his centenary year.</div></div>

Duo Caron's recordings include an album of post-Romantic works and another of works by Tchaikovsky, about which Heléna Bowkun wrote :

:<div style="background: #FFFCFA; width: 85%; border-left:1px dotted #999; border-right:1px dotted #999; text-align: left"><div style="text-indent: 1em; padding-left:1em; padding-right:1em;">« Orchestral transcriptions for piano duo may not be everybody's cup of tea […] The brave and entrepreneurial duo Caron demonstrates that, when such arrangements are well played, they can be very effective. […] The pianists must be congratulated for their fine articulation throughout this entire disc. Things are always clear—never pounded out—and played with a lively, sparkling sound. Listeners who approach the album for what it is. as opposed to what it cannot be (a real symphony orchestra), will find it succeeds very well.</div></div>

Released in 2009, the recording British Music for Piano Four Hands includes two new arrangements by Martin Caron of Paul McCartney's works, which L'Avantage positively reviewed. James Harrington from American Record Guide qualified this recording as a "wonderful release":

:<div style="background: #FFFCFA; width: 85%; border-left:1px dotted #999; border-right:1px dotted #999; text-align: left"><div style="text-indent: 1em; padding-left:1em; padding-right:1em;">« Canadian sister and brother Josee and Martin Caron, playing a gorgeous sounding Italian Fazioli piano in the Historic Chapel of the Bon-Pasteur in Montreal, offer an engaging program of British music for piano four hands. […]. The very effective duet arrangements are by Martin Caron […]. However you may feel about a pop composer being treated equally with more luminary names among British classical composers, I must admit that after a number of hearings of this wonderful release, it is the McCartney tunes that I catch myself humming. »</div></div>

Again, in the March/April 2024 issue, Mr. Harrington mentions the high level of quality of Holst's transcriptions and interpretation for recording Modern Four-Hand Suites:

:<div style="background: #FFFCFA; width: 85%; border-left:1px dotted #999; border-right:1px dotted #999; text-align: left"><div style="text-indent: 1em; padding-left:1em; padding-right:1em;">« […] They, like Liszt so many years ago, aim for something more pianistic, yet still completely faithful to the composer's original concept. […] »</div></div>

Their recordings are broadcast on CBC, SRC, "Radio Classique" CJPX, CKUA Radio Network Edmonton, and RTBF Radio "Musiq'3" Belgium.

Transcriptions by Josee Caron

For Piano Duet

• Gustav Holst (1874-1934): The Planets opus 32, Suite for large Orchestra
• I. Mars, the Bringer of War
• IV. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity

Transcriptions by Martin Caron

For Two Pianos‚ Four Hands

• Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809–1847): Symphony No 4 in A major Italian
• Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881): Night on Bald Mountain‚ symphonic poem
• Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951): Verklärte Nacht op. 4 for string sextet ("Transfigured Night")
• Richard Strauss (1864–1949):
• Don Juan op, 20‚ symphonic poem
• Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, symphonic poem
• Metamorphosen, study for 23 solo strings
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893): Symphony No. 4 in F minor‚ op. 36
• Richard Wagner (1813–1883): Overture from the opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

For Piano Duet

• Sir Edward Elgar (1857–1934): Introduction and Allegro for Strings Op. 47
• Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958): Overture from the opera The Wasps

For Four Pianos‚ Eight Pianists

• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943): Isle of the Dead op. 29‚ symphonic poem
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893): Symphony No. 4 in F minor‚ op. 36

For Two Pianos‚ Four Pianists

• George Gershwin (1898–1937): "Strike up the Band"

Arrangements by Martin Caron

For Piano Duet

• Paul McCartney (1942- ?):
• A Leaf for piano solo
• Appaloosa-Meditation‚ orchestral suite

Discography

• 1992 - Transcriptions for Two Pianos Four Hands (Société Nouvelle d'Enregistrement, SNE-582-CD)
• 1995 - Tchaikovsky for Four Hands (ATMA Classique, ACD 2-2102)
• 2009 - British Music for Piano Four Hands (XXI-21 Productions Inc., XXI-CD 2 1603)
• 2012 - Mendelssohn‚ Transcriptions for 4 hands (Société Métropolitaine du Disque Inc./Espace 21, SMD 225-1)
• 2023 - Modern Four-Hand Suites (Société Métropolitaine du Disque Inc./Espace 21, SMD 312-1)

Footnotes

Citations

References

• Transcriptions - Josée et Martin Caron, pianos from Arnold Schönberg Center
• : pour deux pianos quatre mains = for two pianos four hands. entry in McGill University Library.
• Transcriptions pour deux pianos, quatre mains entry in BAnQ Catalogue Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
• Transcriptions : pour deux pianos quatre mains = for two pianos four hands entry in LAC's Library Catalogue Library and Archives Canada.
• Tchaïkovsky 4 mains = Tchaïkovsky 4 hands entry in University of Maryland Libraries.
• Tchaïkovsky 4 mains = Tchaïkovsky 4 hands entry in University of Alberta Library.
• 4 mains= hands entry in WorldCat, Retrieved March 15, 2012.
• Tchaïkovski, 4 mains = 4 hands entry in BAnQ Catalogue Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
• 4 mains 4 hands entry in McGill University Library.
• British music for piano four hands entry in University of Maryland Libraries.
• British Music for Piano 4 Hands entry in Apple Music. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
• British music for piano four hands entry in BAnQ Catalogue Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
• music for piano four hands entry in Columbia University Libraries (CLIO).
• British music for piano four hands / McCartney, Vaughan Williams, Walton, Elgar. entry in University of Pennsylvania (PennLibrairies).
• Mendelssohn - Transcriptions pour 4 mains = Transcriptions for 4 hands entry in BAnQ Catalogue Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
• Mendelssohn Transcriptions pour 4 mains Transcriptions for 4 hands entry in University of Maryland Libraries.
• Felix Mendelssohn: Transcriptions pour 4 Mains. entry in AllMusic.
• Suites modernes pour quatre mains - Modern Four-Hand Suites entry in University of Maryland Libraries.
• Suites modernes pour quatre mains - Modern Four-Hand Suites entry in BAnQ Catalogue Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
• Suites modernes pour quatre mains - Modern Four-Hand Suites entry in LAC's Library Catalogue Library and Archives Canada.

External links

• L'Art du duo de piano from The Music Scene by Julie Berardino (French Language), Vol. 16 no 8, p. 26. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
• Our artists through the years (French language) Article from Archived 2013-06-28 at archive.today. Retrieved September 5, 2024.