Review of Amitié Musicale by De Standaard

Translation in English here:

Two pianists on one bench: for mere mortals, that’s a recipe for clashing elbows and pedal confusion. But in the right hands, it becomes something greater than just twenty fingers plus eighty-eight keys. Belgian pianist Marie François and her Parisian partner-in-crime Simon Adda-Reyss prove their point with two favorites of the French repertoire: Ravel’s Ma mère l’oye and Fauré’s Dolly Suite - works that stand with one foot in the nursery and the other in the avant-garde. Both composers clearly had a ball writing for four hands: Ravel lets his "Petit poucet" wander through a lush tangle of melodies, while Fauré’s “Mi-a-ou” catches a cat’s mischievous leaps in zigzag intervals.

It’s a charming track list, though our radar warns of potential sugar overload. Fortunately, these two opt for a happy medium. Their partnership is like a delicately dusted cappuccino: it goes down smoothly, sweet and spicy in just the right places. There’s enough detail to satisfy the connoisseur, but also enough familiar flavors to make newcomers lick the foam from their lips. Think of this EP as a tiny dustbuster—a small but powerful reminder that bigger isn’t always better.