Following their musical collaboration on a recording of Brahms and Schumann, pianists Hélène Mercier and Cyprien Katsaris decided to take on the complete cycles of Brahms’s 21 Hungarian Dances and 16 Waltzes, Op. 39. Katsaris says, “It was extremely important to both of us that the gypsy spirit was to the fore in the Hungarian Dances, likewise Viennese elegance in the Waltzes. I must humbly acknowledge how impressed I was by my partner’s level of understanding of this very distinctive music. All her musical suggestions that broke with the usual rules made sense, and we tried never to lose sight of the improvisatory character symbolizing the freedom of the Gypsies.”
Brahms: Waltzes & Hungarian Dances – Hélène Mercier & Cyprien Katsaris
