Rungis Piano-Piano Festival 2026 Opens with "Doubles Concertos" Concert

The Rungis Piano-Piano Festival 2026 opens with a concert titled "Doubles Concertos," featuring works for two pianos and orchestra. The program includes Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, known as the "Scottish," Benjamin Britten's Scottish Ballad, Op. 26, for two pianos and orchestra, and Francis Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in D minor, FP 61. Britten composed his Scottish Ballad in 1941 while living in the United States; the free fantasy draws on several Scottish airs, a funeral march, and a fiery Highland dance. Mendelssohn's "Scottish" Symphony, inspired by similar colors and legends, is a vast Romantic fresco blending mist, heroic surges, and memories. The festival emphasizes intergenerational transmission by giving the Poulenc concerto to the Duo Alaimo, twin sisters who are laureates of the Académie Piano-Piano 2026. The concert thus juxtaposes Scottish landscapes, concertante virtuosity, and imaginary folklore, creating a dialogue between generations and styles. Performers include pianists Ludmila Berlinskaïa and Arthur Ancelle, and pianists Fiona and Chiara Alaimo. The Orchestre Victor Hugo is conducted by Jean-François Verdier and Laurent Comte, with Clément Rochefort as presenter. The event is a partner of Club Artistik Rezo. The source is a press release.