Pianist Frank van de Laar (Laren, 1965) is widely known as a soloist and chamber musician. He studied in Amsterdam and Hannover and has made more than 25 albums, with leading interpretations of Mendelssohn, Schubert and Escher. As principal study teacher he is associated with the conservatories of Amsterdam and Zwolle.

The duo’s debut production ‘Ballets Russes’(Gutman Records) was exceptionally well received. With the high end label TRPTK the musicians are now releasing the recording ‘L’esprit du temps’, with music from the period after World War I.

Composers such as Igor Strawinsky, George Enescu and the sisters Nadia and Lily Boulanger are featured. The rarely played ‘Cello sonata op. 26 no.2’ by Enescu constitutes, in the duo’s opinion, one of the highlights of the cello repertoire of the twentieth century. In recent years they have often performed this highly refined, differentiated and complex work, each time discovering new layers and details.

Also special is the recording of “D’un soir triste” by Lili Boulanger, a work known primarily in versions for orchestra and piano trio. Due to the composer’s early death, the third version, for cello and piano, has remained unpublished to this day. Based on the original manuscript, it has been completed by the duo. A true CD premiere!

Finally, Strawinsky’s ‘Suite Italienne’ and Nadia Boulanger’s ‘Trois pièces’ complete the picture, bringing to life the spirit of the famous ‘Salon Boulanger’ in Paris.