MEPHISTO DUO IS PERFORMING AT JORDAN HALL in BOSTON on NOVEMBER 21, 8:00pm.
For tickets call: 617-585-1260
Mephisto is award-winning composer-pianists Jakov Jakoulov and Igor Tkachenko. Known for their virtuoso improvisations, Mephisto draw from famous classical themes to create unique, lively and compelling musical journeys, with spontaneous infusions of tango, jazz, and folk music thrown into the mix. Mephisto’s mission is to revive the ancient tradition of classical improvisation, which has fallen out of fashion in the 20th Century, bringing it to the concert stage and contemporary audiences. Following in the footsteps of the famous improvisational duos of the past (such as Mozart/Clementi, Beethoven/Czerni, and Brahms/Joachim), the Mephisto Duo put a new, 21st Century slant on this venerable tradition of music-making.
Mephisto performances, described as ”virtuosic piano fireworks”, borrow themes from best-known classical masterpieces, then freely explore and recreate them through full range of contemporary musical styles, and challenge audiences to follow the creative process – right as it happens.
“The first time I heard the Mephisto Duo perform I was blown away! These two keyboard giants duel it out improvising on everything from Stravinsky's Rite of Spring to Puccini's Turandot. The audience was mesmerized by their ability to take a classical theme and turn it into a tour de force. At the end they had everyone on their feet demanding more. Their repertoire is endless and at times their playing seems to be possessed by Mephisto himself! Any chance to hear these great artists is not to be missed.” (Ron Della Chiesa, WGBH Radio and Boston Symphony broadcast host)
“The improvisation…brought the house down” (Boston Globe)
“Amazing virtuosity!” (Frankfurter Zeitung)
“Intensely moody, richly textured…” (The New York Times)
About the Musicians:
Jakov Jakoulov is an award-winning composer of numerous orchestral and chamber works that have been performed by leading orchestras and soloists throughout Europe and the US. Mr. Jakoulov was born in Moscow, Russia, where he studied in Gnesin Music Academy and Moscow Conservatory as pianist and composer. In 1987 Jakoulov left Russia to begin to work in Munich, Germany and elsewhere in Europe. Since 1990 he lives in Boston, Massachusetts. He is a former member of the faculties of Bellarmine College in Louisville, Kentucky, Boston University and Community Music Center in Boston. Recipient of six Annual Awards of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Doctor of Music of Boston University, Elected Member of National Honor Music Society, Jakov Jakoulov has international reputation as both composer and pianist with commissions and performances of his works in Germany, Sweden, Scotland, Finland, Italy, Mexico, Armenia, Russia, Israel as well as the United States.
Igor Tkachenko is an award-winning composer proficient in a wide array of styles and genres, including orchestral, vocal, film, chamber, multimedia and electronic music, with over a dozen published CDs and numerous commissioned works performed. His awards include the First prize at the Aspen Music Festival and Best Music at the FIFI International Internet Film Festival (France). As pianist Mr. Tkachenko has toured internationally in the 1990s, appearing at Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonic, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Helsinki National Opera, Bank of Boston Celebrity Series, and numerous other major venues and festivals throughout Europe and the US. Tkachenko's collaboration with Russian cellist/composer Victor Sobolenko produced the critically acclaimed Duo 21, which has released 8 CDs, among them: Passion, About the Strangeness of Love, Simple Pleasures and Around Tango. In recent years Tkachenko has produced a large body of digital music and co-produced the Interactive Classics series of multi-award-winning children’s music games.
