Rhode Island College’s Performing Arts Series Presents: John and Richard Contiguglia
Identical twins, John and Richard Contiguglia have collaborated as a piano duo since the age of five. They will perform “A Four-Hand Tribute to Schubert,” which is scheduled to include Allegro in A minor, Op.144, Lebensstürme; Variations in A-flat Major on an Original Theme, Op.35 (D813); and Fantasie in F minor, Op.103 (D940).
About the Artists: The American identical twins, Richard and John Contiguglia, are among the most acclaimed and versatile duo-pianists in the world today. Since their London debut in 1962, following which the critic of the London Daily Telegraph described their playing as setting “a new standard for this intimate form of music-making,” Richard and John have shared their artistry with audiences throughout the world. Many of their recordings of Liszt and Bartók Duos on the Connoisseur Society label were modern-day premieres. Their Beethoven/Liszt 9th Symphony recording received the Liszt Society of Budapest’s Grand Prix Award in the first record competition of the Society’s history in 1975. Recently they received their 2nd Grand Prix Award from the Society, following the release in 2012 of their Liszt-Bartók CD on the Gemini CD Classics label. Their performances at the Award Presentation Ceremony on Oct. 22, 2012 can be viewed on YouTube. The summer of 2011 brought them to Australia to participate in Townsville’s 21st Festival of Chamber Music, with its special emphasis on the music of Franz Liszt and Percy Grainger, while in 2008 they were the featured pianists for the annual celebration of Dame Myra Hess Day at London’s National Gallery.
Richard and John have performed with major orchestras throughout the world, among them, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, the National Symphony, the Toronto Symphony, the Boston Pops, the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. They have been heard, both in recital and with orchestra, in numerous prestigious venues, including New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Washington’s Kennedy Center, Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.
Tickets General $35, Seniors $30
