While Igor Kipnis hasn’t completely forsaken his trusty harpsichord, much of his recent work has focused on the piano duo repertoire, partnered by pianist Karen Kushner. The recordings on this disc are taken from unedited broadcast tapes and live performances never intended to be engineered for commercial release. Consequently, the sound is not great, but the music-making more than compensates for any sonic deficiencies. The Brahms Waltzes, for instance, are tossed off with delectable spontaneity and playfulness. Likewise, Schubert’s inventive yet rambling Divertissement à l’hongroise effortlessly flows as though the pianists are improvising the music on the spot. Ravel’s Ma mère l’oye is prefaced by Lucien Garban’s effective transcription of the Prélude and Danse du Rouet, two movements Ravel added for the work’s ballet version. And who can resist the delightful Fauré/Messager send-up on themes from Wagner’s Ring Cycle? Batuccata is an effective, motoric encore piece written especially for this duo by Brazilian composer Calmeiro Soares. It is reproduced from a recording made on a Bösendorfer 275-SE Computer Grand Piano. Kipnis and Kushner prove less convincing in a rhythmically stiff performance of Gershwin’s Rialto Ripples (arranged for duet by Will Donaldson). But, hey, that’s only two minutes of music. The remaining hour and a quarter should convince a major label to march the Kipnis-Kushner duo into a studio and let them record whatever they want.
