Four hands plus one piano equal the internationally renowned duo (and spouses) Alessio Bax and Lucille Chung, who will present a live-recorded concert Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. at the Howland Cultural Center in Beacon.
The performance is the fifth in the ALIVEmusica series organized by the Howland Chamber Music Circle to bring original concerts to music lovers during the pandemic crisis. It is co-presented by Newburgh Chamber Music, Pawling Concert Series, and WMHT-FM classical radio. It can be streamed on the websites of the co-presenters, including newburghchambermusic.org and howlandmusic.org/ALIVEmusica. A donation of $20 is suggested.
Their program will feature Claude Debussy’s “Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun,” and Igor Stravinsky’s ballet “Petrushka.” Debussy’s tone poem, completed in 1894, is based on the poem by Stephane Mallarmé and arranged for four hands by composer Maurice Ravel. It is regarded as the beginning of the Modernist movement and Debussy’s most famous composition.
Stravinsky, inspired by visual imagery, became an overnight sensation in 1910 with his ballet “The Firebird,” the first of many collaborations with impresario Sergei Diaghilev. Among them is “Petrushka,” which tells the story in four scenes of a puppet come to life.
Bax, who was born in Italy, and Montreal-born Chung have performed in dozens of concerts and festivals around the world. They each have earned numerous prizes in competitions and the accolades of critics. Gramophone has called Bax “one of the most remarkable young pianists now before the public,” and lauded Chung for her “stylish and refined performances.”

The performance will be available for streaming for two weeks. For more information, visit howlandmusic.org/ALIVEmusic or newburghchambermusic.org.