Beyond Timeless - A Fantasy of dances and tales | Dono Ching Pong Ng and Alexander Yau

DATE/TIME: 27th March 2026 @ 7:00pm

VENUE: Steinway Gallerie, St. Leonards, NSW

ABOUT

At Steinway Gallery, Sydney, eminent virtuoso pianists and long standing collaborators, Alexander Yau and Dono Ching Pong Ng unite for a two-piano recital that traces a powerful musical lineage across centuries. Known for their authoritative interpretations of Russian repertoire, the duo has previously presented concerts with the Russian Linage in a Rachmaninoff-150 series and then to a Nikolai Medtner Series, explores works by the composers along with their contemporaries, Arensky, Tchaikovsky, Glazunov, and illuminating the enduring influence of earlier masters such as Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Brahms, and Schumann.

This program "Echoes of Lineage: From Mozart to Rachmaninoff" continues that dialogue, beginning with Mozart’s operatic and dramatic intensity through Ravel’s luminous color, Medtner’s introspective modern Romanticism, and Rachmaninoff’s symphonic grandeur—showcasing the piano duo as both an orchestral force and a deeply collaborative art form.

PROGRAM

Wolfgang Amadus Mozart

Fantasie in F minor, Kv. 608 (arr. Busoni)

Maurice Ravel

Introduction et Allegro (arr. for 2 pianos)

Nikolai Medtner

2 Pieces, Op. 58

I. Russian Round Dance (a tale)

II. Knight Errant

[interval]

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Symphonic Dances, Op. 45

I. Non Allegro

II. Andante con moto

III. Lento assai - Allegro Vivace

Program notes

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Fantasia in F minor, K. 608 (arr. Ferruccio Busoni)

Originally composed for mechanical organ, Mozart’s Fantasia in F minor is among his most dramatic and contrapuntally complex works. Dark in tone and uncompromising in its intensity, the piece reveals a side of Mozart that looks forward to Beethoven’s tragic expressiveness. Ferruccio Busoni’s arrangement for two pianos magnifies the work’s orchestral character, bringing out its fugal textures, rhetorical gestures, and dramatic contrasts. In this form, the Fantasia becomes a powerful opening statement, asserting the piano duo’s capacity for symphonic weight and architectural clarity.

Maurice Ravel

Introduction et Allegro

Ravel’s Introduction et Allegro is a masterclass in color, transparency, and refined sensuality. Originally conceived as a chamber work, it inhabits a world far removed from Mozart’s severity, yet remains equally meticulous in construction. In the two-piano version, Ravel’s shimmering textures and flowing lines are reimagined with remarkable clarity, allowing the pianists to recreate the work’s luminous palette while emphasizing its rhythmic suppleness and elegance. The piece highlights the piano duo’s ability to suggest an entire instrumental spectrum through touch, articulation, and balance.

Nikolai Medtner

Two Pieces, Op. 58

Nikolai Medtner stands as one of the great yet under-represented voices of early twentieth-century music. Deeply rooted in the traditions of Beethoven and Brahms, Medtner forged a highly individual language marked by dense counterpoint, long-spanning melodies, and philosophical seriousness. The Two Pieces, Op. 58 reflect his mature style: introspective, structurally rigorous, and emotionally restrained yet deeply expressive. As leading interpreters of Medtner’s music, Yau and Ng illuminate the composer’s inner world, revealing music that speaks quietly but with profound conviction.

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Symphonic Dances, Op. 45

Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, his final major composition, stands as a summation of his musical life. Written in exile, the work blends nostalgia, rhythmic vitality, and spectral intensity, drawing on earlier themes from his own oeuvre. In its two-piano incarnation, the Symphonic Dances achieves remarkable power and immediacy, capturing the sweep of the orchestral original while exposing the rhythmic drive and harmonic richness at its core. The work closes the program with grandeur and urgency, affirming the piano duo as a vehicle for both symphonic drama and personal expression.

Previous performances by Dono Ching Pong Ng and Alexander Yau

Shostakovich Piano Concerto no. 1

Soloist: Dono Ching Pong Ng

Conductor: Alexander Yau

Nikolai Medtner Chamber Orchestra

Rachmaninoff Sonata for cello and piano in G minor Op. 19

Cello: Noah Oshiro

Piano: Alexander Yau