Conlon Nancarrow:
Transcriptions & Original Works
Gare du Nord, Basel 2012. Arrangement: Yvar Mikhashoff
“Bugallo and Williams display superhuman control in its conflicting rhythms, while also managing to realise the humor of the music… The results are exhilarating.”
In 1998, the Duo began a large-scale transcription project of the revolutionary Studies for Player Piano of Conlon Nancarrow. Taking one existing transcription for piano four-hands (Study #15) by Yvar Mikhashoff as a starting point, they arranged—themselves and with composer Erik Oña—twelve additional Studies for one piano, four-hands, one for two pianos (#44), and one for two pianos, eight-hands (#16). They often perform concerts of the complete works for solo piano and piano duet of Nancarrow. Or they design programs around his music, including works by composers who influenced him (Stravinsky, Cowell, Bach, Bartók) and who were influenced by him (Ligeti, Williams).