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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."

"they achieved an inspired and increasingly convincing performance. In particular, the excellent interpretation of Knight Errant, an expansive, polyphonically worked character piece with concertante features, fits perfectly in the Husum Knights' Hall. The finale (...), skilfully adapted by Arthur Ancelles, is an absolute highlight of inspired, audience-oriented music-making. (...) Soviet 'jazz' - this is not an everyday occurrence even in Husum and is enthusiastically received in the auditorium"

"From the outset, Ludmila Berlinskaia and Arthur Ancelle seduced us with their virtuosity, the cleanliness of their playing, their flawless technique and their perfect harmony. Not a fraction of a second of mismatch. One had the impression of having to deal with a single performer who fully appropriated the melody and harmonisation, whatever the style of the work played."

"Liszt's mighty B Minor Sonata is a serious challenge for any pianist, both in terms of dramaturgy and technology. Saint-Saëns' arrangement adds to the complexity of the ensemble interaction - a kind of "reverse translation," in which two pianos must sound like one instrument. And Berlinskaya and Ancelle coped with this task perfectly, demonstrating not only enviable virtuosity but also astonishing simultaneity in phrasing, breathing, sense of tempo and inner harmony."

"Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle performed two major works from the romantic piano repertoire. The listener will have been seduced by their complicity and by their interpretation, both delicate and fiery."

"The interpretation is perfectly sculpted in time, with a rich note and a worked sound (...) Everything in this duet is, indeed, at work, at the sound, and at the concern of the other. (...) Performing in a deserted hall a gambling and flamboyant nineteenth century, the duo reveals the aspirations of our time, its hopes and despairs."

"A wonderful moment of sharing and joy (...) The duo Berlinskaïa - Ancelle finds its familiar marks here, speaking with mischievous joy in the first movement, tenderly exchanging themes and then singing in one voice in the admirable Andante. What a harmony of phrasing, articulation, and subtle ornament making! The Rondeau-allegro, full of character, is dashing, stylish and luminous. (...) What an amazing spectacle to see this couple of pianists enjoying this music, playing their second degree with so much spirit!"

"It was for himself and his sister Nannerl that the Salzburger composed it in 1779, a circumstance that illuminates the spirit of a delightful score, but one in which it is easy to fall into the trap of stringing pearls. No risk with the Duo Berlinskaya-Ancelle which, by the generous complicity that unites it, signs an irresistible interpretation of freshness and relief. The pianists understand that Mozart's music is a theatre scene and the two instruments of the characters dialogue with spirit, mischievousness and grace (wonderful Andante ...). Carried by the luminous direction of Lucie Leguay, their interpretation lives, bounces, with as much vitality as style in the phrasing and, above all, constant wonder. (...) It could not have been a more tasty prelude to the Concerto for Two Pianos in D minor, which Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle take on with infectious health and humor. (...) The performers remember it in a lively and farcical interpretation, though never scruffy nor sloppy."

"What is always spectacular, listening to these two pianists, is their millimetre synchronisation, the uniqueness of musical thought. In this sense, Mozart's Concerto K. 365 is a model of exigency. The thousand pitfalls of writing for two pianos, ornaments, articulations, lines in unison or in thirds, the relay of phrases, the balance of the parts, which can only be played at the cost of very meticulous repetition, are overcome here with a confounding ease, a joy of playing, a sparkling energy. The complicity that unites Ludmila Berlinkaïa and Arthur Ancelle expresses itself, despite the different piano playing, with effervescence, humour and emotion in an interpretation with mad charm."

"the trio, formed by the excellent Ludmila Berlinskaya (daughter of Valentin Berlinsky) on piano, Victor Dernovski on violin and Vytautas Sondeckis on cello, gives a magnificent, passionate, deep and poetic interpretation, rich in nuances and colours (...) Ludmila Berlinskaya returns to the Danel Quartet for an interpretation, once again marked with the seal of excellence, which finds its acme in a formidable Scherzo that seduces with its powerful dynamics (piano), its sarcastic tone, sometimes macabre, sometimes jubilant, bathed in a complicity and a total symbiosis between piano and strings."

"If the Russian public previously had to be told the story of this successful "family team", now Berlinskaya and Ancelle are perceived by lovers of good music as a stable and very bright phenomenon on the world piano stage. Academism and fine taste, aristocratness and expression, as well as an impeccable "team play" ensure the duo's growing popularity (as confirmed by the full Zaryadye Hall) and take it to the top positions in the academic establishment's predilections. This creative union impresses by the complete absence of "soloist syndrome", everything is subordinate to the logic of the musical development of the performed works and to the high artistic tasks brilliantly solved by the artists. (...) Summing up my brief overview of the concert, every modern music lover looking for originality, aristocracy and a high level of performing culture, « must have » the Berlinskaya Ancelle duo in their listeners' luggage."

"The ensemble mastery of the Berlinskaya-Ancelle duo was absolutely amazing and led the audience to the greatest admiration. The unity of stroke, phrase, sound, rhythm was amazing. And the tempo changes, in particular in the Suite of Rachmaninoff were so logical that it seemed that it was not a problem for the performers at all to make all these accelerando and meno mosso together."

"These thousand personal qualities, united by a formidable technique, give rise to one of the most brilliant and endearing piano duets of today. (...) The work flourishes in all its climates, nostalgic and dreamy, bubbling and passionate, dark and intense; the inner voices are illuminated, the architecture solid, the paroxysms reached."