The duo has a grand old time with Grainger's surprisingly underrecorded Porgy and Bess Fantasy, flinging notes around with panache and entering into the spirit of the work, which is more ebullient than Gershwin's opera itself. In fact, I can't remember a performance that I've enjoyed more than this one.
The Grainger-arranged Fantasy on Porgy and Bess includes nine of the songs from the show. Their treatment by Grainger and by Susan Duehlmeier and Bonnie Gritton is breathtaking. The full, rich harmonies made possible by the duo pianos combine with the total unanimity of the two piano virtuosos to produce a soul-satisfying sound that pins one to the chair and precludes any possibility of attention-wandering. The power and brilliance of the performance, the dynamic sensitivity, and the sense of exuberance emanating from the glorious sound all add to the listener's enjoyment. The Fantasy is 17 plus minutes long, and its conclusion is accepted with reluctance--it leaves one craving for more.
Duo pianists Susan Duehlmeier and Bonnie Gritton were guest soloists in the Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra by the French composer Francis Poulenc. The two musicians were very much in synchronization with each other. Their technique was flawless and styles wonderfully matched. Playing from memory, they delivered a note-perfect performance.
In Percy Grainger's exuberant Porgy and Bess Fantasy, these two artists launch into nearly every section with the kind of pizzazz that marked Gershwin's own performances of much of his music. Thus, after a boldly forthright opening, My Man's Gone Now really sweeps the listener along. Ditto the rumbling figures that underlie Strawberry Woman and the more insinuating strains of Summertime and Bess, You Is My Woman, not to mention the strongly swung I Can't Sit Down, I Got plenty o'Nuttin' and I'm on My Way.