Drawing their strength from a love of sharing, taking risks and exploring, Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle are two inseparable pianists, a couple who are as close-knit on stage as they are in life. Their artistic rapport, nurtured by more than a decade of working together, is reflected in their approach to performing as a duo, which is based on listening to one another, breathing in unison and a shared musical vision.
« Sensational pianists » (Fanfare), « bright, cheerful » (Diapason), « as skilful as they are meticulous » (Classica), they are also praised for their rare ability to become one with the keyboard, their « synchronisation that gives the impression of a single pianist » (MusicWeb International) and their way of « cultivating duality in a supernatural dimension » (Le Monde). Their performances, which are both demanding and generous, emphasise a close connection with the audience, curiosity and the joy of discovery.
Both hailing from families of renowned performers, and both accomplished soloists, Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle form a duo characterised by a constant rapport. Through their energy on stage, their original programmes, concert formats that are sometimes unprecedented, and constant interaction with the audience, they aim to help elevate the piano duo to a status on a par with other major chamber music ensembles.
This conviction led them to set up Piano-Piano, a series of artistic, educational and heritage initiatives entirely devoted to the repertoire for two pianos and four-hand piano.
They’ve been playing together since 2011, the duo has built up a rich repertoire comprising both the genre’s greatest masterpieces and numerous rare works. Particularly committed to rediscovering little-known repertoires, they explore both original works and transcriptions, enriched in particular by Arthur Ancelle’s numerous arrangements: Francesca da Rimini, Romeo and Juliet, After reading Dante and many more.
Every season, they host the the most beautiful halls : the Philharmonie de Paris, the Radio France Auditorium, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Salle Gaveau, the Salle Cortot, the Moscow and St Petersburg Philharmonic Halls, the Zaryadye Concert Hall, the Mariinsky Theatre, the Megaron in Athens, and are guests of prestigious festivals, such as La Roque d’Anthéron, the Gstaad Music Festival, the Moscow December Nights Festival, the Tokyo Spring Festival, Rota das Artes in Lisbon, Klavier Raritäten in Husum, the Lille Piano Festival, the Lisztomanias, the Solistes à Bagatelle, the WEMP and the Pianofolies du Touquet…
With a rich repertoire comprising around ten double concertos, they also collaborate with renowned orchestras, such as the St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ulsan Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ural Philharmonic Orchestra, the Lille National Orchestra, the Paris Chamber Orchestra, the Île-de-France National Orchestra, the Victor Hugo Franche-Comté Orchestra, the Picardy Orchestra, and conductors from across the generations: Nikolai Alexeev, Arie Van Beek, Vladimir Ponkin, Dmitri Liss, Lin Tao, Jean-François Verdier, Vahan Mardirossian, Jader Bignamini, Georg Köhler, Youri Medianik, Laurent Comte, Lucie Leguay, Rebecca Tong…
Building on a a flurry of recording activity As a duo, soloists and chamber musicians, Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle have already performed 10 albums All of these have been extremely well received and honoured by the international press (Gramophone’s Editor’s Choice, Classica’s ‘Choc’, 4F from Télérama, Album of the Year by *Le Monde* and *Libération*, *Pianiste Maestro*, Musiq3’s ‘Choix musical’, Resmusica’s ‘Clé d’Or’, etc.). Their concerts are recorded and broadcast by France Musique, Radio Classique, TCE Live, Deutschlandfunk Kultur (Germany), Radio Orpheus (Russia), NPO Radio 4 (Netherlands), RTS (Switzerland)…
Very involved in the transmission Drawing on their expertise, Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle lead a class entirely devoted to piano duets at the École normale de musique de Paris – Alfred Cortot.
They are also the founders and artistic directors of Piano-Piano, which now comprises the Rungis Piano-Piano Festival, the Piano-Piano Academy, the Open Piano-Piano Database, a specialist collection of sheet music, international courses and several development projects dedicated to the world of piano duo.