Güher and Süher Pekinel

The Turkish twin sisters Güher and Süher Pekinel, who come from Istanbul, made their first appearance as a piano duo at the age of six and their debut with the Ankara Philharmonic Orchestra three years later. Their studies have taken them to Yvonne Loriod in Paris, August Leopolder in Frankfurt am Main, Rudolf Serkin at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and the Juilliard School in New York, where they worked with Claudio Arrau, Leon Fleisher, and Adele Marcus. The Pekinels won first prize at the UNESCO World Piano Competition in 1978, and in 1984 they were invited by Herbert von Karajan to make their debut at the Salzburg Festival. Güher and Süher Pekinel regard the following among the highlights of their 40-year international career: a Eurovision concert with the Vienna Philharmonic, which was broadcast to 28 countries; a major tour with the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta; and a European tour with Jacques Loussier and his “Take Bach” project. The sisters have also concertized with the Munich Philharmonic, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the London Mozart Players, and the English Chamber Orchestra. They opened the 2017-18 season with concerts at the Tonhalle in Zurich and in Basel with the London Philharmonic. Following their Lucerne appearance, they will undertake a tour of Asia and perform with the China National Symphony Orchestra, the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Japan Philharmonic, and the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra. Güher and Süher Pekinel have recorded numerous CDs of repertoire ranging from Bach to Bartók; in October 2017, they released the box set Treasures, which includes ten concertos for two pianos and orchestra. The sisters are committed to charitable education projects in Turkey.

LUCERNE FESTIVAL (IMF) debut on 27 August 1985 playing Bach’s Double Concerto BWV 1061, accompanied by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under Zdeněk Mácal.

November 2017