Trois Pièces Faciles, Cinq Pièces Faciles, Concerto Per Due Pianoforti Soli, Sonata For Two Pianos

This recording, released under the Wergo label (distributed by Harmonia Mundi), features brothers Alfons and Aloys Kontarsky performing a selection of Igor Stravinsky’s compositions for piano duo. Stravinsky wrote these pieces at different points in his career: the 'Trois Pièces Faciles' and 'Cinq Pièces Faciles' were composed in 1915 and 1917, respectively, while the Concerto for Two Pianos and the Sonata for Two Pianos date to the 1930s. Together, they represent the composer's neoclassical shift and his interest in the structural possibilities of the two-piano medium.

The Kontarsky brothers were preeminent interpreters of twentieth-century avant-garde music, known for their technical precision and analytical approach to complex scores. By recording these works for the Wergo catalog, they provided a definitive reference for Stravinsky’s chamber piano repertoire. The release was well-regarded by music critics of the era for its clarity and for the way the duo managed the distinct rhythmic layering characteristic of Stravinsky’s writing, cementing the recordings as a staple for listeners interested in modern classical performance practice.