Pianos Entwined to Bring Musical Camaraderie on Stage
Written by Joseph John L. Verallo | August 28, 2025
On September 6, 2025, at 7:00 p.m., Cultural Arts Events Organizer, in partnership with Double Pentagon Concerts and Yamaha Music Philippines, will host “Pianos Entwined,” a concert consisting of music written for two pianos, four hands, and eight hands. On that evening, four pianists will exhibit their collaborative artistry at Yamaha Music Greenhills, San Juan City.
The program of the event is unique in that it will consist entirely of a seldom discussed musical form: the piano duo. As its name suggests, the form involves music played on two pianos, either with one or two pianists on each piano. The allure of the piano duo lies in seeing how just two or four musicians are capable of achieving such depth and grandeur of sound. In 1941, the pianists Luboshutz and Nemenoff commented on this allure, writing that the piano duo “approaches most closely to orchestral values of sonority and color. Its tonal possibilities are infinite.”
Bringing these “infinite tonal possibilities” to life on the piano is collaborative pianist Najib Ismail alongside award-winning pianists Michael Valenciano, Pauline Aguila, and Nathan Gemina. Together, these four talented musicians will present the beloved works of Mozart, Bach, Franck, and Saint-Saëns with an interval to be followed by the music of Rachmaninov, Piazzolla, Debussy, Benjamin, Ravel, and Liszt.
According to pianist Nathan Gemina, the event represents a gathering of friends and artists working together to create a single musical vision, the sight of it on stage creating something wholly unique and intimate. He says of the experience: “As a performer, you get to share the stage with others. The synergy that happens with you and others—it’s something that’s beyond words.”
The program will open with Mozart’s The Magic Flute: Overture, to be played on two pianos by all four artists. Although the overture is an orchestral work, the audience will witness these pianists actualize the potentialities of the piano as they match the sound of a large-scale orchestra.
The program will also feature pieces originally composed for solo piano, such as Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte and Debussy’s Clair de Lune. Here, the listener will get to hear these intimate pieces now reimagined for live collaborative piano. “Listening to them feels like listening to these solo pieces with a fresh coat of paint,” Gemina comments.
Ultimately, the evening will be a celebration of the piano’s tone and timbre through the combined artistry of four pianists. Tickets for “Pianos Entwined” are now available here. For more upcoming classical events, feel free to visit their events page.
