Netherland's Jussen brothers make their U.S. debut with Dallas Symphony Orchestra
donderdag 6 mei 2010
The Jussen brothers will make their U.S. debut this weekend playing Mozart’s Concerto No. 10 for Two Pianos with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and its music director, Jaap van Zweden.
The orchestra will also perform Ravel’s Ma Mère l’Oye (Mother Goose) and Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence.
Though the Jussens won’t make as big a splash as their pop-music counterparts, the upcoming performances mark an important step in the careers of the blond teens in blue jeans.
“My dream is to play concerts all around the globe,” Lucas Jussen said. “To come to America is for us a very big step.”
And a natural one given the steady progress of the brothers’ talents at the keyboard.
“They are extremely gifted,” said van Zweden, a mentor and family friend. “They are technically really strong. They are different characters, of course. At the same time, when they play together it is like twins playing piano.”
Lucas and Arthur each started piano lessons at age 5 in their hometown, Hilversum. An introduction in 2005 led to a year-long apprenticeship with famed Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires.
High-profile concerts and television appearances followed. They played Mozart Concerto No. 10 in Utrecht’s Vredenburg hall and in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and van Zweden on the podium. (Their father plays timpani in that orchestra; van Zweden is chief conductor there, in addition to the DSO.)
The brothers will play the Mozart in London and Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos in Rotterdam later this year. Lucas alone will play Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Noord Nederlands Orkest in February 2011.
Though their careers are taking off, the brothers try to maintain the life of normal teenagers – attending high school, playing sports, hanging out with friends.
“We play a few hours a day at the piano, but that doesn’t mean we are only at the piano, because then you get crazy,” Arthur said.
Van Zweden said their normalcy makes their talent all the more special.
“At one moment they play football, and at the other moment they play fantastic piano,” van Zweden said. “They are dedicated to the piano, but at the same time they are not wunderkinds. They are who they are, and it is wonderful.”