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Duo Caron is a classical music group who transcribed and performed great orchestral works for two pianos and piano four hands.

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2010)

Duo Caron
Origin	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Genres	Classical
Years active	1990 (1990)–present
Members	Josee Caron Martin Caron
Website	www.cyberquebec.ca/duocaron

History

Born in Rimouski, Quebec, Canada, sibling pianists Josee and Martin Caron[1] have lived in Montreal for a number of years. They started collaborating under the name Duo Caron in 1990, mostly arranging and playing orchestral works for two pianos and piano duet. The originality of this project has earned them numerous concert appearances including at national and international festivals.

Premieres

Alan Belkin's Petite Suite for two pianos, commissioned by the Duo Caron,[2] was premiered by Duo Caron in Montreal's Claude-Champagne Concert Hall (June 1996). In 1998, the Quebec International Duo-Piano Festival commissioned to 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.[3]

Released in 2009, the CD British Music for Piano Four Hands[4] includes two new arrangements by Martin Caron of Paul McCartney's works. American Record Guide qualified this CD as a "wonderful release".[5] L’Avantage noted "Précision remarquable"[6] about the interpretation of William Walton's Music for Children. Duo Caron's recordings include a CD of post-Romantic works [7] and another of works by Tchaikovsky.[8][9]

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

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)

Footnotes

Citations

References

External links

• Official website
• Rimouski, Que, entry in The Canadian Encyclopedia / The Encyclopedia of Music in Canada
• "Josée et Martin Caron", from Arnold Schönberg Center

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