The second half of the program offered not one but two guest soloists, and a pair of twins at that. These are Christina and Michelle Naughton, raised in Madison , and barely out of their teens. Their talents guarantee them brilliant careers, both as individual players and as two-piano partners. Their vehicle was a welcome rarity, the Concerto in E major for Two Pianos and Orchestra by the teenage Felix Mendelssohn. It is the first of two such works that Mendelssohn composed in 1823-24. Its orchestral writing is generally perfunctory, not yet quite revealing his characteristic style. But the piano writing already suggests what he would later achieve in his two mature piano concertos.
Read MoreSister pianists Christina and Michelle Naughton brought the audience to its collective cheering feet as they mastered twin grand pianos to play Mendelssohn’s “Concerto for Two Pianos in E Major.” It wasn’t just their artistry, which was spectacular, but the sisters – former Madison residents who attended Edgewood High School and currently study at the Curtis School of Music in Philadelphia –stage presence was daunting.
Read MoreChristina und Michelle Naughton sind ein hervomagendes Klavierduo. Wie musikalisch dicht beieinander sie agieren, ist große Klasse. In der zweiten ProgrammhäIfte bei ,,Klassik vor Acht” im Herkulessaal, in der die Zwillingsschwestern nicht mehr vierhändig an einem Klavier, sondern an zwei Instrumenten spielen, Iieß sich ihr beredter Augenkontakt beobachten. Er ist Zeicheneines perfekten Zusammenspiels.
Read MoreAnd Friday’s program offered just a taste of the Naughtons. They will be back at the Fine Arts Center Sunday night with two great works from the repertoire — the second suite of Rachmaninoff and Lutoslawski’s “Paganini Variations,” which is a real showstopper.
Read MoreChristina and Michelle Naughton are identical twins. Standing side by side on stage during a duo-piano recital last Saturday, their resemblance was uncanny–except for Christina’s slightly longer hair and ever-so-slightly higher heels. The sisters, who are piano students at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music, were in town to perform on the Steinway Society of the Bay Area’s Piano Series, held at Le Petite Trianon in San Jose. An identical-twin duo-piano team sounds suspiciously like a gimmick assuring fast fame for the mediocre, but the Naughton sisters proved that they are worthy of every ounce of success which comes their way. Their recital displayed stellar musicianship, technical mastery, and awe-inspiring artistry.
Read MoreViolinist Yehudi Menuhin was always best with his pianist sister, Hephzibah; they claimed to read each other’s musical minds. But Christina and Michelle Naughton, who made their Philadelphia Orchestra debut Tuesday at the Mann Center, aren’t just sisters, but identical twins, whose musical compatibility is even more keen than their physical resemblance.
Read MoreThe season closer of the UAB Piano Series on Sunday began routinely enough. Organizer Yakov Kasman customarily books fine pianists — many of them young — and Michelle Naughton was no exception.
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