HOFFSTACK PLAYLIST #13 - Duo Crommelynck, Brahms's Symphony 'No. 4,' 1st Movement

Four hands, one tragedy.

At some point last summer I was in my backyard reading and listening to WQXR-FM on my silver Panasonic portable radio from P.C. Richard and Sons that is now somewhat busted because I knocked it over, breaking off the antennae, thus limiting its reach. (I’ve purchased a replacement from a brand called DreamSky off Amazon that, I must confess, is even better, because its dial is digital, and is also five dollars less expensive. What a world.)

The midday weekend DJ (not Annie Bergen, it was a male voice) played a piano piece—I don’t remember what it was specifically—some “piano for four hands” music, meaning two players share a bench and bang along together—not two pianos opposite one another like Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock on tour in 1978 or Donald and Daffy Duck in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

“That was Duo Crommelynck,” not-Bergen back-announced, describing the Belgian-Japanese husband-and-wife team of Patrick Crommelynck and Taeko Kuwata. “Wow,” I thought to myself. How sweet. Two people from opposite ends of the earth, one speaking Flemish (“Crommelynck” doesn’t sound particularly Walloon to me!) and the other Japanese, finding common ground in the language of music, falling in love, and playing in the most intimate of manners—anticipating the other’s moves, breaking apart a score into its component parts for one keyboard, approached by two people.

“Duo Crommelynck achieved a great deal of success up until their death by double-suicide in the mid-1990s,” she added.

Wait, what?!?!

You hear something like this on a nice summer’s day and you can’t help but be fascinated.

I don’t know the specifics of what in the heck went on with these two—and it’s not really my business—but the basic facts are that in 1994 he hanged himself in his home in Brussels, and, upon discovering the body, she did herself in, too. That’s at least what is says on Wikipedia and there’s not much else out there in English.

I want to be as delicate as possible in saying that there’s an understandable fascination with artists who harm themselves. Would we love a two-eared Van Gogh as much? I’ll confess that I pretty much ignored the group Nirvana as “too popular” up until Kurt Cobain ended his life. “Gee, I guess that wasn’t an act,” I thought, and paid more attention to the work, becoming a fan. One could easily see a European film director bringing a movie inspired by Duo Crommelynck to Cannes. The specificity of their performing style and demise is so enormously tragic.

So I’ve been listening to a lot of Duo Crommelynck. (This is not any weird cry for help! The strange story merely pointed me to them, that’s it, that’s all.) Piano for four hands is really a delight, though, especially when, as in the piece I’ve selected, it takes a known, larger symphonic work and pares (pairs?) it down. Back in the day, not everyone could actually hear a full orchestra play something like Brahms’s Symphony No. 4, but one could go to a music hall and hear two people chop it up like this.

I adore Brahms’s No. 4 and particularly its opening movement, which has such a dramatic sway to it. On one keyboard like this it is much more delicate, but still has great power. You really can focus on the “nice melody”.

There are 15 Duo Crommelynck albums on Spotify—mostly big guns like Mozart, Schubert and Tchaikovsky in addition to Brahms. In a way it is completely unfair, almost grotesque, that their tragic end is what led me to their music. Blame whichever dude at WQXR felt the need to bring it up. Years from now will DJs play “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and say “that guy shot himself”? I hope not.