Divan Duo
The cross-cultural piano duo of Layla Ramezan and Nazanin Piri, are both
from Iran and share a passion for piano music for four hands, from the
present and past, well-known and less well-known. Layla and Nazanin have lived
and studied in France and Germany. Both have settled in Switzerland
for different reasons, and this is where their paths then crossed.
Together, they are in harmony with cultures from East and West and live
out this cross-cultural harmony in music.
"Regards Croisés" is the name of their new joint project, which creates a
unique sound experience with works from across borders: contemporary
works from Iran and Turkey joined together with music from Europe.
Works by Schumann and Stravinsky complete the program. Stravinsky
lived on three continents – in three different cultures that influenced significantly
his music. Schumann worked with Arabic and Persian poetry
throughout his life. He was particularly impressed by Goethe's "WestEastern Divan"
as well as by Ali alHariri's "Makamen", which ultimately
inspired him to the "Pictures from the East". The steadily growing repertoire
of the Layla and Nazanin duo also includes four-handed pieces by
Fazil Say ("Night") and Nazanin Piri ("Asir"), which provide a socio-critical
view of the political conditions in Turkey as well as the inequality between
man and woman in Iran. The composers Jean-Luc Darbellay, Hans Eugen
Frischknecht and Mark Hofer have composed three four-hand works
especially for the piano duo, some of which develop colorful soundscapes
with inside piano effects and percussive passages.
Due to their first concert at Bern on February, 27th, 2020, an audio was published in the German cultural magazine O-Ton. Listen to it here. It's in German language.
Nazanin Piri's website
