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Katia and Marielle Labèque facts for kids

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Katia and Marielle Labèque are famous French sisters who play the piano together. They are known around the world for their amazing music. Katia was born on March 11, 1950, and Marielle was born on March 6, 1952. They are a very successful piano duo.

About the Labèque Sisters

Early Life and Music Training

Katia and Marielle grew up in Bayonne, a city in southwest France. It's close to the Spanish border. Their dad was a doctor and loved music. He even sang in an opera choir! Their mom, Ada Cecchi, was their first piano teacher. She started teaching them when Katia was five and Marielle was three.

After they finished their piano studies at the Conservatoire de Paris in 1968, the sisters started playing music for two pianos. They recorded their first album, Les Visions de l'Amen by Olivier Messiaen. They continued to play modern music by composers like Luciano Berio and Pierre Boulez.

Becoming Famous Worldwide

The sisters became very well-known when their 1980 recording of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue sold over half a million copies. This was a huge success! They didn't just play classical music. Their music also included jazz, ragtime, flamenco, minimal music, baroque music, pop music, and even experimental rock.

The sisters also explored baroque music. They even had two special pianos called Silberman fortepianos made in 1998. They played these old instruments with famous orchestras like Il Giardino Armonico and the English Baroque Soloists.

They have performed for huge crowds. In 2005, they played for 33,000 people at a concert with the Berlin Philharmonic. In 2016, they performed for over 100,000 people at Schönbrunn Palace with the Vienna Philharmonic.

Many composers have written music just for them. Some of these pieces include "Linea" by Luciano Berio and "Water Dances" by Michael Nyman. Philip Glass also wrote a "Concerto for two pianos and orchestra" for them. They performed it with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Katia and Marielle also play music for two pianos and percussion. They performed a version of West Side Story and Maurice Ravel's Boléro with Basque drums. They also started a project called "50 Years of Minimalism" in London. This project featured music by composers like John Cage and Steve Reich.

Recording Their Own Music

From 1970 to 1997, the sisters recorded many albums for big music companies. After a break, they started their own music company called KML Recordings in Italy in 2007. They also help young bands and musicians from different music styles. They even helped the Basque trio Kalakan and introduced them to their friend Madonna. Kalakan then joined Madonna's tour in 2012. In 2016, the sisters partnered with Deutsche Grammophon to help distribute their KML Recordings.

In 2005, they started their own foundation in Rome. It's called "Fondazione Katia e Marielle Labèque." This foundation helps connect music with visual arts. It also supports new music for two pianos and helps experimental music groups.

In 2012, they opened their own recording studio in Rome. It's called "Studio KML." It's a place where musicians from their foundation and record label can meet and create music.

Their Personal Lives

Katia's partner, David Chalmin, is a composer and musician. Katia was also in a relationship with the guitarist John McLaughlin in the past. Marielle is married to the conductor Semyon Bychkov. The sisters still live together. They have lived in London, Florence, and since 2005, in a palace in Rome that once belonged to the Borgia family.

Music Albums (Discography)

Albums as a Duo

  • 1969 : Olivier Messiaen, Visions De L'Amen
  • 1970 : Bartok, Sonata for 2 Pianos and Percussion
  • 1972 : Rachmaninov, 24 Preludes & Suite No. 2
  • 1972 : Hindemith - Martinu
  • 1979 : Marius Constant : Psyche
  • 1980 : Gershwin, Rhapsody In Blue / Piano Concerto In F
  • 1981 : Brahms, Hungarian dances
  • 1982 : Scott Joplin, Gladrags
  • 1983 : Liszt, Réminiscences de Don Juan
  • 1984 : Rossini, Petite messe solennelle
  • 1984 : Gershwin, An American in Paris
  • 1985 : Bizet, Fauré, Ravel
  • 1987 : Stravinsky, Petrouchka / Concerto For 2 Pianos
  • 1987 : Gershwin, I got Rhythm - Music for Two Pianos
  • 1988 : Bernstein, Symphonic dances and songs from West Side Story
  • 1990 : Love of Colours
  • 1990 : Dvorak, Slavonic Dances Op. 46 & 72
  • 1991 : Encore !
  • 1993 : España !
  • 1994 : Tchaikovsky, Piano fantasy : music for two pianos
  • 1996 : En blanc et noir - Debussy Album, including En blanc et noir
  • 2001 : Brahms - Tchaikovsky - Debussy (compilation album)
  • 2003 : Piano Fantasy (compilation album - 6 CD box)
  • 2006 : Maurice Ravel
  • 2007 : Stravinsky / Debussy
  • 2007 : Schubert / Mozart
  • 2009 : Erik Satie
  • 2010 : The New CD box
  • 2011 : Gershwin-Bernstein, Rhapsody in Blue - West Side Story
  • 2011 : Nazareno
  • 2013 : Minimalist Dream House
  • 2014 : Sisters
  • 2016 : Invocations
  • 2017 : Love Stories
  • 2018 : Amoria

Albums with Other Artists

Movies and Documentaries (Filmography)

  • 1990 : The Loves of Emma Bardac, a TV movie by Thomas Mowrey
  • 2000 : The Italian Bach in Vienna, a concert with Il Giardino Armonico
  • 2000 : The Man Who Cried, a movie by Sally Potter
  • 2005 : Waldbühne 2005, a concert with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Simon Rattle
  • 2005 : I'm Going to Tell You a Secret, a documentary about Madonna
  • 2012 : The Labeque way, a documentary by Felix Cabez
  • 2016 : Summer Night Concert, a concert with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Semyon Bychkov

See also

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