The Keyboard Explorers
Keyboard and various drums, for four hands, four feet and two drumsticks
Michèle Renoul & Elizabeth Vinciguerra
Two experienced pianists and musicians, Childhood friends, Share a keyboard with various drums with joy !
This program was created with the desire to surpass our limits and explore something new with our chosen instrument.
Our challenge is to simultaneously speak, sing, use our feet and sometimes our hands to play other instruments.
We have created this program to re-interpret pieces from the classic repertoire and encourage new compositions for us.
The keyboard explorer and « The Rite of Spring» of Igor Stravinsky
The keyboard explorer and « The Rite of Spring» of Igor Stravinsky
An exceptional version for four hands, four feet and two drumsticks,
Our version of “The Rite of Spring” has been awarded three times at the international competition of piano projects of EVIAN under the presidency of François DUCHABLE. We received the jury's prize, the public's prize and the commitment for a concert at the festival of the 24h of the mans of the piano.
We also won the 3rd prize in the chamber music category at the International Online Competition (2020).
To this already very difficult version, we have added a percussion part while remaining faithful to the original four-hand score written by Stravinsky. This percussion part is inspired by the orchestral version and was - in part - written by a percussionist and pianist from the Académie Supérieure de Musique de Strasbourg. We arranged it and reworked it during our rehearsals.
The proximity on the keyboard associated with the difficulty of the added percussions, forces us to develop a very precise gesture. This rather perilous and daring instrumental choreography gives a very particular energy to our musical and rhythmic expression.
A live broadcast on the screen can show the ballet of the hands on the keyboard. The listener is fully involved in the energy of this masterful piece.
This version is very spectacular with the ability to reach multiple audiences. First because the orchestral version has been played often, for those familiar with classical music repertoire, it would be easy to find a connection to our performance. Second because of the technical difficulty and energy of the music, it creates a performance that is visually and acoustically impressive
Guaranteed effect on the audience.
Elizabeth Vinciguerra
Elizabeth VINCIGUERRA is a graduate of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris (master degree) as a performer of music in piano accompaniment.
She has worked with the conductor Mark Foster at the keyboards of the Contemporary Music Ensemble and has regularly collaborated with orchestras (Lyon, Mulhouse, Besançon, Strasbourg and Pays de la Loire).
With Michèle Renoul, they have created a piano duet “the keyboard explorer" which received 3 prizes at the international competition of piano projects in Evian (2017) and the 3rd prize for chamber music at the international competition on Line (2020).
As a chamber musician, she plays regularly in concert with the musicians of the Philharmonie de poche.
She is currently a professor of accompaniment at the Conservatory and the Higher Academy of Music of Strasbourg-HEAR. She is also the pianist of the Philharmonic Choir of Strasbourg.
