Varèse: Amériques Rediscovered
“Varèse’s 1920 ‘Amériques,’ in gigantic orchestra form, is one of the most magnificent and savage masterworks in all of modern music. In Varèse’s own two-piano transcription discovered in 2004, it is an entirely different piece—jagged and of daunting difficulty but of the sort that Helena Bugallo and Amy Williams routinely attempt with neither hubris or difficulty but rather total nonchalance.”
In 2004, the Duo was given a recently unearthed manuscript of Varèse’s massive orchestral work, Amériques. The manuscript, in Varèse’s own hand, was an arrangement for two pianos, eight-hands. Comparing the different orchestral versions, Helena Bugallo edited the score and the Duo, along with numerous other pianists, have had the pleasure of premiering and performing the work in this new edition. Varèse’s music can be programmed with other groundbreaking works, such as Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring or Messiaen’s Visions de l’amen, or in the context of an exploration of French works (Jolas, Mantovani, Ferrari). It can also be paired, as it is on the Duo’s CD, with the music of his great admirer, Morton Feldman.