MORT AU PRINTEMPS MORT AU PRINTEMPS Mort au Printemps arises from the confluence between a historical atmosphere steeped in death—so present in the European imagination at the beginning of the 20th century—and the need to explore, through the piano duo, new forms of expression of the tragic. The three works featured in this album are not only united by this symbolic backdrop, but also by deep aesthetic affinities and personal ties between their composers. In all of them death becomes a creative impulse, though approached from three distinct perspectives: for Stravinsky, it appears as an archaic, almost utilitarian ritual; for Debussy, as an oppressive atmosphere echoing the war that engulfed Europe; and for Remacha, as a deeply personal response to the loss of his grandson. The unique and versatile language of the piano duo becomes the vessel for the invention of these three composers, in a recording that seeks to reclaim the expressive richness of a genre too often overshadowed by solo or orchestral repertoire. The Rite of Spring (Igor Stravinsky) Few works have left such a lasting mark on the history of music as The Rite of Spring. Premiered in 1913 by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, its brutal originality caused an unprecedented scandal among the audience. Stravinsky depicts a pagan ritual in which a young girl is sacrificed to the gods to welcome the spring. To do this, he abandons the idea of “beauty” in favor of the “musical object”. Through archaic melodies, dissonant harmonies, layered textures, and tribal rhythms, the composer transports us to a primitive world and connects us with that ancestral instinct that still resides within us. The ballet is divided into two parts, presenting different soundscapes. The Adoration of the Earth draws us into the daily life of a prehistoric tribe. We hear dances, games, tribal conflicts, and moments of worship and ecstasy. The second part, The Sacrifice, begins mysteriously, with mystical chants and long processions that induce a trance-like state. When the elders identify “the chosen one” the procession stops abruptly. In the “sacrificial dance” she must dance to the point of exhaustion and death. The rhythm becomes urgent, and a brutal ostinato drives us to the inevitable conclusion. The final chord is built from the notes D–E–A–D. The current four-hand piano transcription, written by Stravinsky in parallel to the symphonic version, was premiered by the composer himself and Debussy. Although the orchestral version is the most widely known, this version loses none of its primal force; the pianistic texture reveals the sonic architecture of the work with clarity, showcasing Stravinsky’s supernatural command of rhythm, his precise use of motivic repetition and layering, and dazzling thematic originality. El Día y la Muerte (Fernando Remacha) El Día y la Muerte is a two-piano work by Fernando Remacha that remained hidden for decades. The first mention of its existence dates back to 1978, when the composer personally handed the manuscript to pianist Pedro Espinosa. It wasn’t premiered until 1990, when Espinosa performed it with Fermín Bernetxea. Espinosa recalled that Remacha held a deep affection for this piece; however, it was never published. The reason may lie in the painful event that seems to have inspired it: the tragic death of his grandson. This background imbues the piece with a dark, fatalistic, and deeply moving character. The piece begins in a mournful tone. Layered sonorities coexist in a concentric, almost mechanical polyrhythm that evokes a painful march. Within the harmonic mass, a slow, directionless melody emerges. After a few hopeful echoes, the tension builds toward a central section—a whirlwind of anguish, with arpeggios surging ferociously across the keyboard until all energy is spent. Following a return to the erratic opening march, the piece concludes with a gentle ascent of chords that seem to fade into the distance, ultimately finding peace. The language of El Día y la Muerte lies between Impressionism and Expressionism, full of tension, dark colors, and an expressive use of the space between the two pianos. Remacha, three times winner of Spain’s National Music Prize, was a great admirer of Stravinsky and Debussy, whose influence can be sensed throughout his catalogue and also in this work. Nevertheless, his voice remains unique, authentic, and profoundly personal. El Día y la Muerte is a piece that demands to be rescued from oblivion and placed where it truly belongs: among the great masterpieces of 20th-century Spanish repertoire. En Blanc et Noir (Claude Debussy) Composed in 1915, En blanc et noir is one of the most unique and representative works of Debussy’s final period. Although the composer did not want to explicitly link it to World War I, the tragic backdrop of the time inevitably seeps into the music, and both the annotations in the score and specific musical quotations clearly point in that direction. The work is structured in three movements of striking rhythmic and harmonic contrast. The first, Avec emportement (With impetuosity or anger), is preceded by a quote from Gounod: “He who stays in his place and does not dance admits his misfortune in a whisper.” This may be a confession of the guilt and frustration Debussy felt at not being able to fight in the war due to his delicate health. Indeed, the movement sometimes feels like a dance cut short. It begins with a cascade of vibrant arpeggios, unfolding in brilliant colors reminiscent of an earlier Debussy, which gradually darken as the music progresses. The second movement, dedicated to a French officer killed in the war, opens with what seems to be the prayer of a soldier entrenched in the battlefield, his heartbeat caught in his throat, while the trumpets of the Allies sound in the distance. The central section represents a battle, including a quotation of the Lutheran chorale Ein feste Burg, which stands in opposition to the opening trumpets. The movement ends with a solemn and contemplative tone. The third movement, “to my friend Stravinsky,” evokes a wintry landscape with biting irony: “Winter, you are a villain.” Its scherzando character and striking play of textures allow us to imagine winter as a mischievous, almost demonic figure. The movement offers moments of vivid imagination, such as a fearless children’s game where the pianos seem to chase one another, or a meno mosso section that evokes the stillness of a snowy landscape. The frigid whirlwind whirls into a dizzying race against time before vanishing suddenly—not without a final, menacing wink. When Stravinsky received the score after Debussy’s death, he was deeply moved. Maite León ANTON & MAITE Piano Duo Maite León and Antón Dolgov met in 2011 in Madrid, immediately feeling a strong musical and personal connection. Since then, the duo has performed over 100 concerts across four continents. In recent years, they have played in renowned stages such as the Palau de la Música Catalana, Teatro de la Maestranza, Auditorio Manuel de Falla, Auditorio de Zaragoza, Krakow Philharmonic, Lima Philharmonic Society, Musikverein in Graz, and the Grand Theatre of Harbin in China. They have collaborated with the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra, Cusco Symphony Orchestra, Zaragoza Symphony Orchestra, KUG Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the Aragón Conservatory of Music, under the baton of conductors such as Ralf Weikert, Theo Tupayachi, Lucasz Borowicz, and Miquel Rodrigo. They have appeared at prestigious festivals including the Schubertíada de Vilabertrán, Granada Festival, Rafael Orozco Piano Festival in Córdoba, and the Berlin Piano Duo Festival, among others. The high level of their performances, combined with their on-stage personality, has earned them over ten international awards, including First Prize at the Mirabent i Magrans International Competition, First Prize at the Luigi Zanuccoli International Competition, First Prize at the Antón García Abril International Competition, and the Special Award for Best Performance of a García Abril Work. They have also received the Extraordinary Prize El Primer Palau and Second Prize at Jeunesses Musicales of Spain, among others. Critics have described their performances as “a true spectacle”, “pure seduction” (Catalunya Radio), and “truly overwhelming” (Diario de Sevilla). Ritmo magazine praises their “admirable technical perfection, musicality, and strength,” while Heraldo de Aragón highlights their “perfect synchronization between both pianists.” Their debut album, ESSENZ, produced by IBS Classical, received the Melómano de Oro and five stars from Ritmo magazine, and highlighted by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer William Bolcom. Antón and Maite are also passionate piano teachers, communicators, and editors. They have made arrangements and critical editions of works by Fernando Remacha, José Bottiroli, and William Bolcom, among others. As active artists on social media, they advocate for the art of piano duo and strive to bring classical music closer to new audiences, with over 80,000 followers on their Instagram and TikTok accounts.