ZOFO: Eva-Maria Zimmermann; Keisuke Nakagoshi, piano
Akira Nishimura Samudra Manthan (The Churning of the Ocean Milk) West Coast Premiere
Gustav Holst, arr. Keisuke Nakagoshi The Planets
Since joining forces as the profession duo ZOFO in 2009, internationally acclaimed solo pianists Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi have electrified audiences from Carnegie Hall to Tokyo Japan with their dazzling artistry and outside-the-box thematic programming for piano-four-hands. This Grammy-nominated, prize-winning Steinway Artist Ensemble—one of only a handful of duos worldwide devoted exclusively to piano duets—is blazing a bold new path for four-hands groups by focusing on 20th and 21st century repertoire and by commissioned new works from noted composers each year. This concert will feature the West Coast Premiere of Samudra Manthan (The Churning of the Ocean Milk), a newly commissioned five-movement work by Japanese composer Akira Nishimura. Samudra Manthan is one of the best known episodes in Hindu mythology where gods and demons try to extract the Amrita (drink of immortality) from the ocean. Akira Nishimura's piece is very smartly and beautifully written for piano duet, using the four hands in many different innovative ways. The program also includes The Planets, Gustav Holst's seven-movement orchestral piece arranged for piano duet by Keisuke Nakagoshi. For more information please visit zofoduet.com.