Portrait Cheng² Duo

• Dinuk Wijeratne (b. 1978):
• 1 Wijeratne: A Portrait of the Imaginary Sibling 10:40
• Vincent Ho (b. 1975):
• 2 Ho: Horizon Images: I. Prairie Song 03:20
• 3 Ho: Horizon Images: II. Soleil différé 05:34
• 4 Ho: Horizon Images: III. Windstorm 03:18
• Hua Yanjun (1893 - 1950):
• 5 Yanjun: The Moon's Reflection on the Second Spring (Arr. for Cello & Piano by Bryan Cheng & Silvie Cheng) 07:37
• Alexina Louie (b. 1949):
• 6 Louie: Pond Mirrors Bright Sky 05:55
• 7 Louie: Wild Horse Running 04:39
• Paul Wiancko (b. 1983):
• 8 Wiancko: Cello Sonata No. 1 "Shifting Baselines": I. Steady Stroll - Flowing 06:40
• 9 Wiancko: Cello Sonata No. 1 "Shifting Baselines": II. Free - Angular - Calm - Driving 07:18
• 10 Wiancko: Cello Sonata No. 1 "Shifting Baselines": III. Glacial - Moto - Unwavering, but Not Too Fast - Steady Stroll 09:06
• Huang Haihuai (1935 - 1967):
• 11 Haihuai: Horse Racing (Arr. for Cello & Piano by Bryan Cheng & Silvie Cheng) 03:46
• Total Runtime 01:07:53

Info for Portrait

Vibrant, haunting, trailblazing—Cheng² Duo's fourth and newest album, Portrait, is their most personal record yet. Paying tribute to their multicultural roots as Canadians (Ottawa natives) born to Chinese parents, this bold collection comprises world-premiere recordings of works by composers of diverse Asian heritage, written for or arranged by the duo.

Cheng² Duo:
Bryan Cheng, cello
Silvie Cheng, piano

Cheng² Duo
Rooted by a sibling bond that transcends the familial, the Cheng² Duo (pronounced Cheng Squared Duo) transfixes listeners through its impassioned expressivity and contagious joy—critics have hailed their performances as “brilliant” (The Sunday Times, UK), “truly exhilarating” (The WholeNote, Canada), and “absolutely captivating…through a tremendous mastery of their instruments” (Pizzicato Magazine, Luxembourg). ​

Cellist Bryan Cheng, prizewinner of the 2022 Queen Elisabeth Competition and Verbier Festival’s coveted Prix Yves Paternot, and pianist Silvie Cheng, 2022-23 Cecilia Concerts Musician-in-Residence and National Arts Club Artist Fellow, have been making music together for nearly their entire lives. Since officially forming the Cheng² Duo at their 2011 Carnegie Weill Recital Hall debut, their artistry has left lasting impressions across the globe, with extensive tours to illustrious concert halls and international festivals throughout North America, Europe, Asia and South Africa.

In the 2023/24 season, the duo will appear as guest soloists with the Banatul Philharmonic (Romania), embark on multi-week tours in Canada and South Africa, and present recitals in Switzerland and the US. Recent highlights include recitals at the Frauenkirche Dresden, Flagey (Brussels), Munich Künstlerhaus, California Center for the Arts, Dame Myra Hess Series (Chicago), Chamber Music at the Clark (Los Angeles), Harvard University (Cambridge), Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts (Kingston), Orford Musique, Salle Bourgie (Montréal), Palais Montcalm (Québec), as well as Chamberfest Cheboygan, Ottawa Chamberfest, and Toronto Summer Music Festivals. Past performances and interviews have been broadcast on CBC Radio, ICI Musique, Radio-Canada International, Vermont Public Radio, WCRB Classical Music Boston, WCNY Classic FM, Kulturradio RBB and Südwestrundfunk (SWR2) Germany, ORF Austria, and Classical Radio Orpheus (Moscow). ​

In the vanguard of creative programming, Bryan and Silvie are equally committed to presenting traditional masterworks, rediscovering neglected repertoire, and championing the music of their time. Since 2013, they have commissioned and arranged 15 new works, as well as curated cross-disciplinary concert experiences that meld classical and contemporary music with jazz, poetry, and visual/media arts. World-class collaborative partners have included photographer and cinematographer Edward Burtynsky, Mercury Films, and multimedia studio Normal. ​

Cheng² Duo has previously released a trilogy of critically-acclaimed albums on the German label audite: Russian Legends (2019), Violonchelo del fuego (2018), and Violoncelle français (2016). Born in Ottawa and Tokyo to Chinese parents, Bryan and Silvie are proud Canadians who are currently based in Berlin and New York City.

This album contains no booklet.