Arthur (24) and Lucas (28) Jussen think that these dark times need more colour. The piano playing brothers therefore present their colourful Russian Album with Russian piano music from roughly the first half of the 20th century. During our Zoom-conversation, the Jussen brothers stay in their parental home. Two grand pianos are at their disposal there and their mother is kind enough to do some extra laundry.
How did you prepare for this Russian album?
Arthur: “Sergei Rachmaninoff is a truly romantic composer, we have to play his music as romantic as possible. We immerse ourselves in an era like that, we listen to a lot of renditions by other musicians, but our ideas mainly arise from our own playing. We have been doing this for a long time and this is our way to find out how the music should be performed.”
What makes Russian music different from other music?
Arthur: “Listening to Rachmaninoff, you hear nostalgia and a longing for something that is not available. We associate the works of Dmitri Shostakovich with fear and oppression, even if his music sounds cheerful. He constantly had the feeling that the state controlled him and looked over his shoulder. And then you have the danceable music of Igor Stravinsky, which remind us of his revolutionary ballets.”
The album cover, which incorporates Wassily Kandinsky’s painting ‘Colour Study, Squares with Concentric Circles’, matches very well with this music. Was it your own idea to use these colours in your costumes?
Arthur: “For some musicians this might be less true, but we think a beautiful cover is important. We wanted to do something with this work by Kandinsky, a contemporary of the composers we play. We knew this painting from an art book on the piano at our home. Our regular clothing designer Peter George d’Angelino Tap started working on the idea. We had to stand exactly in front of the picture so that the image would be correct. It was a collaborative project in which photographer Sanja Marušić also played an important role.”
The album concludes with the least known composer Anton Arensky.
Lucas: “We have often played these two short pieces as an encore. An album should not become too monotonous. Stravinsky made heavy, complex music and Shostakovich has also something dark and mysterious. Therefore we wanted to conclude with something light and sweet so that the album ends in a pleasant way. Actually, we see these two pieces as bonus tracks. This album represents what we stand for and we definitely enjoy playing Rachmaninov and Stravinsky, but Arensky belongs to it as well.”
Are you planning to play this music in Russia?
Lucas: “I am sure that question will come up someday. It will be an emotionally charged concert, because the Russians have strong opinions about how to perform their music. Russians learn their own music from a young age. If it comes to the point that we are allowed to perform there, we will make sure that we are prepared for 150 per cent. So that the Russians will say: we might not agree, but the Jussens did a good job!”
About: The Russian Album
Arthur & Lucas Jussen – Deutsche Grammophon
Arensky: Suite No. 1, Op. 15 – II. Valse: