Welcome to the site of American Double, a contemporary, classical violin and piano duo.
Here you’ll find a wealth of information on violinist Philip Ficsor and pianist Constantine Finehouse, essays on musical issues, descriptions of exciting projects that promise to enrich the listener’s experience of classical music, and of course a way to buy our CDs.
Repertoire: American Double strives to familiarize audiences and instrumentalists with well-established composers of American and European origin whose works for violin and piano are underrepresented in the concert repertoire. We seek to imbue our performances of the classics with a freshness that comes from a combination of passion and musicological insight garnered through years of academic training.
Private Recitals: Drawing on performance traditions of the past, when chamber music was played in actual "chambers", we offer audiences an exciting opportunity to experience live classical music performance in the comfort of their own home.
Educational Outreach: Double uses the avenues of educational outreach and academic presentations with the hope that additional performances of unfamiliar repertoire by established composers will have a freshening effect on the traditional recital program.
The “Bolcom Project” Recording
An example of American Double’s commitment to modern-day American and European composers is their project to record William Bolcom’s complete works for violin and piano. As a recent multiple Grammy-Award winner, this Pulitzer Prize winning composer ranks as one of the most important musical figures in America today. In preparation for this project, the Double coached with Mr. Bolcom on each work, gave European premieres of the Fourth Sonata and was the first ensemble to present the complete works in a single concert (Ann Arbor, 2006). This is the first recording ever of Bolcom’s complete violin and piano repertoire and features numerous commercial-release premieres, such as Fancy Tales, among others. Released on Albany Records, this double-CD is now available for purchase in stores and online.
In the News
Albany Records just released American Double's recording of Bolcom's complete works for violin and piano.
American Double is touring the country in celebration of William Bolcom’s music for violin and piano.
Videos from our all-Bolcom concert at Kerrytown Concert House in Ann Arbor, MI have just been posted in Sights&Sounds.