Yuko Inoue and Ketil Haugsand – harpsichord duo – “DUoÆ”
DuoÆ – (wordplay, literally – which can only be fully understood in Trøndersk – the dialect of middle Noray) – has made a tonal mark in various contexts – now, also in Norway – but also in Bremen, Lisbon, Bucharest and other places – as a harpsichord duo and / or harpsichord and fortepiano.
The repertoire for such an instrumental arrangement is relatively exotic and not large. But what works there are is all the more exciting and sets the mood, with ingenious solutions in sometimes very exciting musical texture and counterpoint – not to say “entertainment” -!
YUKO INOUE can trace her broad musical background all the way back to early childhood and her first performances as early as six years old.
After completing her piano studies at the Music College of Tokyo and several awards in piano and chamber music competitions, her interest in historical piano instruments and their performance practice was awakened – which naturally resulted in completing a master’s degree in harpsichord and music research, especially concentrating on the works of C.P.E. Bach.
After her debut in 2004, Yuko Inoue has established herself as a harpsichordist and fortepiano performer, soloist as well as in chamber music, with numerous appearances both in Japan and here in Europe – with, among others, the Klassische Philharmonie Bonn, Kölner Kammerorchester, Sinfonieorchester Aachen, Norsk Barokkorkester and Utrecht Festival voor Oude Muziek.
She studied early music with Prof. Ketil Haugsand and completed her studies at the Cologne Academy of Music, with a Masters of Music and a Konzertexamen – on fortepiano.
Although her repertoire includes the cornerstones of French, Italian and German literature, her great interest lies in the Bach family, especially Carl Philipp Emanuel, who can often be performed on both harpsichord and fortepiano – which puts her in a unique position as a performer today.
Her CD for SIMAX, “The Art of Emotion” encompasses precisely this musical core, which shows how important contemporary composers such as Haydn, Mozart and the young Beethoven experienced the living acquaintance with CPE Bach.
KETIL HAUGSAND – professor emeritus from the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln – has been counted among the important personalities of international baroque music for almost two generations – with an extensive career as a soloist, chamber musician and ensemble leader. He has performed at most prestigious festivals in Europe, the USA and the Far East – with the Norwegian Baroque Orchestra, the Norwegian Broadcasting Orchestra, the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, the Lyra Baroque Orchestra, the Arte Real Ensemble and at the Komischer Oper Berlin. Important chamber music partners have been Laurence Dreyfus, Wieland Kuijken, Peter Holtslag and many others.
His recordings of works by Antoine Forqueray, Louis Marchand, Carlos Seixas, Sousa Carvalho and others have won great international fame and his interpretation of J.S. Bach’s “Klavierübungen” and the English Suites, as well as the complete recording of Rameau’s Pieces de Clavecin have been highlighted as highly original and exquisite.
Haugsand studied in his time with the legendary Gustav Leonhardt in Amsterdam, has won prizes in international competitions – has subsequently been a member of numerous juries in similar contexts, has been a teacher at countless summer courses in Italy, Portugal, Israel, the USA – and not least at the Ringve International Summer Course – and was a harpsichord teacher, later a professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music between 1974 and 1995
The duo performs the works for two harpsichords by J.S., W.F. and C.P.E. Bach, François Couperin, Johann Ludwig Krebs.
Tallinna Klavessiinifestival 