booklet writer: Susana Zapke interpreter: -Karl-Hermann Mrongovius -Begoa Uriarte composer: -Toms Marco - Josep Soler < -Ramon Barce -Joan Guinjoan Begoa Uriarte of Spain and Karl-Hermann Mrongovius of Munich, where he is professor for piano at the Hochschule for Musik, form together a piano duo which has won international prizes and which avoids every kind of flashy publicity. For years they were an insider's secret among connoisseurs and music journalists, but their infrequent performances nevertheless became special events. Thus, the "Sddeutsche Zeitung" wrote in autumn 1998: "The standing ovations in the Prinzregententheater prove it: this Basque-Bavarian piano coalition is a pianistic institution that demands all the respect of the competition ... it belongs in the major leagues of the piano duos of international reputation ... quite simply splendidly performed." The concert tour through Germany together with the four composers represented on this CD already was a big success and thus let the plan for this recording arise. Lacking a programmatic background, Josep Soler's "Coronacin de espinas" (Crowning with thorns) is part of a series of works with biblical or mythological motifs that derive from an archetypal abstraction. "Nuevas Polifonas" reflects Ramn Barce's consideration of the problems of Gestalt psychology and the utopia of objective form in art. "Flamenco" by Joan Guinjoan forms a triptych with sound elements from Andalusian folk songs which reflects the balance between an intuitive creativity and a rigorous exploration that oversteps traditional limits of sound, rhythm, expressive intensity, instrumental possibilities, and the ability to hear. .. (Toms Marco). Content: - Glasperlenspiel - Fandangos, Fados y Tangos - Flamenco - Nuevas Polifonas, Libro I - Coronacin de espinas