Lu Piano Duo returns to BU to perform Mozart

BRANDON – After an absence of two years, the internationally acclaimed Lu Piano Duo returns to the Pro Series on Tuesday in the Lorne Watson Recital Hall at Brandon University (BU).

Currently on faculty at the University of Utah’s School of Music, the husband-and-wife team of Jie-deng Lu and Ning Lu will present an all-Mozart programme.

Originally from China, the pianists completed their studies in the United States – Jie-deng Lu earned a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) from the University of Illinois, while Ning Lu holds a DMA from the University of Boulder. Along with teaching, giving recitals, soloing alongside major orchestras and participating in chamber music collaborations, they give masterclasses around the world and adjudicate various competitions. Both have won competitions themselves – Jie has won several, including the Colorado CMTNA Piano Competition, while Ning won the International Tourgee-Debose Piano Competition in Louisiana, among others. As well, Ning Lu is the artistic director of The Helen Taylor Johannesen International Piano Competition, which takes place in Salt Lake City.

Their programme first shines the spotlight on Jie’s interpretation of two of Mozart’s 18 sonatas for the piano, namely No. 8 and No. 9. Composed during a stay in Paris in 1778, when Mozart was a mere 22 years old, the Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor, K. 310 is one of only three of his solo piano sonatas that venture into a minor key. The previous year, the composer had penned Sonata No. 9 in D major, K. 311, while in Mannheim. Though out of order, these two sonatas along with his Sonata No. 7 in C major, K. 309 were published as a set.

The Lu Piano Duo will then play Mozart’s Piano Sonata for Two Pianos in D major, K. 448, written only three years after the K. 311 sonata.

“It is with great pleasure that I welcome back the Lu Piano Duo. They are consummate musicians who deliver memorable performances of music that is either seldom or rarely presented here,” said Greg Gatien, the Dean of Music at BU. “Our Pro Series audiences loved their two previous appearances here, so I look forward to hearing their newest programme of youthful, but significant Mozart works.”

The Pro Series’ presentation of the Lu Piano Duo will begin at 7:30 p.m., in the Lorne Watson Recital Hall, in the Queen Elizabeth II Music Building at BU. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students, seniors and alumni, and are available at the door or in advance in the Main Office in the School of Music.

The next Pro Series feature is the annual New Music Festival, on March 12 and 13, at 7:30 p.m., with the Brandon New Music Ensemble, director Megumi Masaki and several guests. Admission is free to both New Music Festival evening concerts.

The School of Music gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Province of Manitoba, through a Consolidated Arts Programming Grant from Culture, Heritage and Tourism.

Please note that seating in the Lorne Watson Recital Hall is limited and that programmes are subject to change. For up-to-date listing of pro series and student performances, please visit: Events.BrandonU.ca/Events/Category/Music.

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