The Gugg Piano Duo explores an orchestral favorite and challenging contemporary music

From the performance: 

At the center of the evening stands Schubert’s monumental Grand Duo Sonata, a four-movement work whose symphonic breadth and luminous melodies push the piano beyond chamber music into orchestral territory. A contrasting turn follows with Dvořák’s second Slavonic Dance, compact yet emotionally charged, moving from introspective E minor to a radiant E major. Smetana’s The Moldau then unfolds in flowing lines and vivid imagery, tracing the famous river from its sources through the Czech landscape to Prague. The program concludes with John Corigliano’s Gazebo Dances, a spirited suite inspired by the lightness and elegance of outdoor band concerts. Together, these works showcase the piano’s extraordinary range of color, texture, intimacy, and grandeur.