All the Press

“Bizet's Jeux d'enfants, Debussy's Petite Suite and Ravel's Ma Mère l'Oye follow one another with the same freshness of inspiration, the same infectious enthusiasm, the same joy of playing, right up to an improbable Danse hindoue by Chaminade as an encore.”

"as you leave the concert, your mind is still enveloped in the dreamlike experience you've just had."

"The duo displays its qualities: density of sound, total coherence, quality of listening to create these plays of echoes while maintaining an ironclad balance. An unassailable professionalism."

"The second part of the concert is dedicated to the rare Concerto by Max Bruch, a composer best known for his violin concerto. (...) Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle restore this work to its former glory, revealing the full richness of the score, particularly in the fugue, imbued with Brahms-like romanticism. These two masters of the piano (...) paint sonorous pictures with playing that is at once majestic and solemn, tender and intimate. Although the work respects a classical four-movement form, it breaks with convention, notably with the emphasis on slow sections in each movement. The Berlinskaya-Ancelle duo make the piano sing in quiet moments, drawing us into a reverie akin to Schumann or Rachmaninov, as in the second movement. They also know how to be imposing, as in the vigorous entrance to the first movement. Their interpretation combines explosive energy and confidential gentleness, in perfect harmony with the Orchestre national de Lille."

"The sober, uncompromising pianism and complicity of Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle are marvelous here, as they rigorously - and with visible joy - appropriate a language that is always inventive and personal, and whose extreme complexity is never heavy."

"This technical challenge in no way detracts from the osmosis between the two pianists, whose sounds sometimes seem to merge into a single, embracing instrument. A two-headed instrument that plays loud and well, even in Max Bruch's subtle contrasts.
At their pianos, their complicity is such that a simple glance is enough; every note is a wink, every nuance an invisible dialogue. Even their postures seem perfectly synchronized, as if they had invented a secret choreographic language."

"After the intermission, Ludmilla Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle take the stage for an equally romantic, but very different piece. (...) The symbiosis between the two soloists and the orchestra is equally impressive (...).
Most of the audience in the hall were new to this work, and it was a revelation. After this imposing moment and a standing ovation, the two pianists return with their students, who take their places two at a time on the pianos, and by the time Arthur Acelle fetches his score, he can declare that “a festival is also a party”, before the four musicians dazzle us with bouncing keyboard variations and hand-clapping.
We left the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées wanting to dance and spend the weekend in Rungis."

"Their duo, formed in 2011, is now an obvious choice, as hands and minds seem so connected."

"a moment of pure joy (...) Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle defend this unique repertoire with rare talent and energy (...) Berlinskaya and Ancelle give us these two readings. They are both children who squabble, exchange winks and touch hands, and demanding musicians attentive to every detail of this work of musical goldsmithery. (...) A brilliant burst of laughter in music, perfectly executed by the impeccably coordinated duo (...) A delight!"

"The artistic and human bond between Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle seems ideal. The energy of the latter is matched by the delicacy of the former, both at the service of a technique that is certainly highly mastered, but always imbued with poetry and sensitivity."

"The audience applauds the performance with a round of applause"

"Other highlights included two Rachmaninov suites by the Ancelle-Berlinskaia duo"

Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle magical at the Philharmonie
"The inseparable duo, on stage and in life, delivers a virtuosic and complicit interpretation of Victor Babin's Transcriptions for Two Pianos to a spellbound audience. Berlinskaya and Ancelle bring luminous energy and jazzy gaiety to compositions by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Stravinsky and Tsfasman. (...) Beyond their unanimous and technically accomplished playing, both musically and expressively, of the rich repertoire offered, these two outstanding pianists enchant us with their creative fusion, their fresh vitality and their attention to the music, the audience and each other."

"Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle have taken a passion for the work and restore it in all its richness, here dark and fatalistic, there with a biting or playful virtuosity. A beautiful discovery, which deserves to be extended in a recording studio!"

"Opened by the cello section, the magnificent "intermezzo", a broad elegy entrusted to the strings punctuated by dreamy winds, is reminiscent of Samuel Barber and Aaron Copland (...). More in the vein of a Poulenc than a Bach, the "Finale alla fuga" closes this score with panache. Ludmila Berlinskaia and Arthur Ancelle also enchanted the audience with the transcription of Rachmaninoff's Romance op. 21 n°7, by Victor Babin, whose mentor the Russian was in America."

"One could not be better prepared for Fauré and his Dolly suite, which the two artists then bring to life and sparkle with a common breath, preserving the softness of the colors. Heady charm of a tender intimism ... (...) They continue with Feuille d'images (1830) by Louis Aubert (...) that the duo explores by distilling tasty harmonies, typical of the inter-war period. A music as simple as suggestive which, restored with such finesse, speaks immediately to the imagination."

"A few casually swinging chords (...) then a brilliant fireworks display of runs erupts and glitters across the keyboard. Ludmilla Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle ignore any tempo limit on their two pianos, holding their breath with mesmerizing precision.."

"True piano duos are very rare and the one formed by Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle over the past decade is a model of musical accomplishment. (...) Music is the best of balms, we say to ourselves while savoring the total osmosis of the two interpreters in a lyricism as evocative as it is moving (...) The second part of the Duo's anniversary evening forms a truly irresistible cocktail that the two pianists and their jazzmen accomplices of an evening take off with a chic and a humor, a charm and a swing that follow you long after you have left the room."

"Needless to say! Such a fusion of souls is the basis of a happy family - especially when there is such amazing chemistry in collaboration, as with Ludmila and Arthur. (...) The audience clearly cheered up, enveloped in sound in the best traditions of mid-century jazz bands - the American dream, cigar smoke and the smell of whiskey. It's hard to keep silent about the exceptional virtuosity of the guest musicians and how easily Lyudmila and Arthur switched from academic Russian music to languid, juicy American jazz. (...) A stunning ensemble of four musicians, seemingly even breathing in sync, subtly feeling the delicacy of the music they touch. (...) The concert concluded with the duo's famous, much talked about on social networks, "Snowflakes" from Zfasman's "Jazz Suite", arranged for this special cast. Virtuoso solos by each of the quartet members, pounding energy of Lyudmila Berlinskaya, unexpected surprises for those who have heard the piece more than once and managed to memorize it to the last note.
Deserved deafening applause from a rather noisy audience and full of sparkling humor encores"

"It is hard to resist the vivacity and tenderness, as well as the relief that Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle bring to the two allegros, which they carry off with adolescent freshness. And how imaginative they are in the Adagio non troppo - an astonishing piece considering the age of its author -, knowing how to translate its rich expression and changing colours without overloading the subject. A sparkling Tsfasman as an encore prolongs the pleasure."