All the Press

"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."

"Their talent as organizers and their eagerness to promote new generations should not blind us to the fact that Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle are also luminous performers, curious about a repertoire off the beaten track, which they defend with passion and integrity. Their latest recording, Passage secret, a jewel devoted to French music (label alpha), is a case in point."

Interview of the Duo by Antoine Sibelle for Pianiste Magazine

"... And there’s Ravel’s Ma mère l'Oye in its original incarnation. When the performance is this good, who needs the (admittedly marvellous) orchestral transcription? (...) “Le jardin féerique” has to be one of the most affecting things Ravel ever composed, and it’s difficult to stay dry-eyed when Berlinskaya and Ancelle dispatch it with this much poise and affection. Splendid stuff, in other words."

"In short, I cannot imagine a more appealing album and better interpretations, nor a better recording as well as an even better cared for grand piano!"

Interpretation : 6/6 - Sound 6/6
"For the Russian-French couple, the secret of the duo's art of fusing everything together seems to lie in their precise knowledge of each other. With an enormous sensitivity for the right nuances, they open up a repertoire that needs to be treated with special sensitivity."

"The Ludmila Berlinskaya - Arthur Ancelle duo has published this sunny and delightful four-hand French piano recital on Alpha (...) This new recording is a pure and delicious delight (...) But this disc is worth listening to above all for its heady and enchanting interpretations, shrouded in an impalpable poetry of the moment, a real and playful pleasure, a tender and original way of breathing in music, in the complicit intimacy of four hands crossed at the whim of the keyboard. (...) This is an anthology of superlative quality, thanks to the accuracy of the choice of works, the detailed finish of the poetic and meticulous interpretations, and the almost perfect stylistic match of our duettists to each of the different works."

"Fauré's Dolly hums between tenderness and amusement, while Ravel's Ma mère l'Oye is more serious and spare, and this is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished interpretations, with its profusion of color and extraordinary sense of dynamics. (...) Everything breathes and lights up in this eighth album by the Berlinskaja - Ancelle Duo."

" The pianists manage to fuse finesse and heartiness in ways that make their performances sound fresh. (...) Their Debussy Petite suite counts among this work’s most supple and poetic recorded interpretations. (...) Fauré’s Dolly suite also receives as vividly characterised an interpretation as one could wish, replete with an appreciable kick to the concluding hard-hitting accents in ‘Le pas espagnol’. Eloquence, simplicity and subtle tonal shadings make Ravel’s Ma Mère l’Oye appear to play itself. (...) Four-hand fanciers will certainly want this enchanting and highly recommendable release."

"Finesse, homogeneity and free imagination run through these four-hand pages, whose eternal freshness owes as much to the touch as to the heart of those who play them."

“Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle are a formidably well-equipped duo (...) It goes without saying that the duo’s ensemble precision is second to none. Their characterisation of each piece is as witty, charming or spirited as need be”

"Passage Secret” is Bernard Niedda's favorite album of the week

"The album is absolutely delightful and the duo demonstrates a mastery of sound, of the pedal, of the transitions between one and the other, of the attacks, of the dosage of dynamics and of the tonal timbre. What a pleasure to listen to Bizet's Jeux d'enfants interpreted with such subtlety, or Debussy's Petite suite, with such grace and delicacy. We could not miss the essential and precious Dolly suite by Fauré (brilliant and full of sunshine that Pas espagnol) nor, of course, Ma mèrel'Oye in a version that does not pretend to emulate the orchestral version, but explores the timbre possibilities of the piano to its last corners providing a renewed and colorful vision (fantastic those Entretiens de la Belle et la Bête) with a masterful use of the pedal. A very interesting work by the little known Louis Aubert (...) closes this little jewel."

"An album that puts you in a good mood (...) And when they are interpreted as virtuosically and with as much tonal sophistication as here, the little character pieces turn out to be great art. Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle have the right lightness for this repertoire, layering wonderful harmonies on top of each other, against which delicate melodies emerge. The cantabile quality of their playing is impressive. Melancholic echoes never become sentimental. (...) A real enrichment of the repertoire!"

"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."