CD REVIEW -
FRANCE REVISITED
VOL TWO
Piano Ŕ Deux
divine art ddx
21142 [61:41]
There has been
more music written for the piano
than for any other instrument and
we have over the last 11 years
occasionally reviewed
approachable soloist albums.
Aware of this, the Divine Art
label has kindly sent us this
release.
It is a tuneful
trio of works played by the
husband-and-wife piano duo Robert
and Linda Ang Stoodley. The
couple met on a Christian dating
website, married in 2008 and
formed Piano Ŕ Deux two years
later. They have performed with
distinction internationally and
earned praise on TV's
'Britain’s Got Talent'. They
are also popular with luxury
cruise line passengers.
So, we have
Gabriel Fauré's delightful Dolly
Suite, Franz Liszt's
well-known and well-liked Hungarian
Rhapsody No.2 (the four
hands arrangement a premiere
recording) and George Onslow's
Sonata No.2. Anglo-French born in
1784, the last named was often
called the "French
Beethoven". He was quite
famous for a time but his music
fell out of favour after his
death in 1853. The duettists are
credited for their part in
researching and reviving his
work.
The exemplary
booklet notes include details of
two earlier Piano Ŕ Deux albums
on this label that received
critical acclaim, and now here is
another hour of fine pianism, on
a Steinway Model D instrument,
which your reviewer is pleased to
commend.
©
Peter Burt, March 2026
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