“Chamber music is a wonderful experience among friends, but playing piano together is more intimate; it has to sound like one instrument”, Khatia Buniatishvili remarks about her collaboration with her sister Gvantsa. Their mother is a passionate music lover; the two girls studied piano in Tiflis and already appeared together as a piano duo when they were children. They complement each other in an ideal way – for the very reason that their characters are quite different, thus joining to form a mesmerizing synthesis when they play music together. In 2019, the duo had planned to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Bochum Symphony Orchestra in a virtuoso joint appearance; unfortunately, they had to cancel on short notice. For this year’s programme, the two sisters have chosen a series of duo highlights with Milhaud’s “Scaramouche”, Gershwin, and Schubert; they also let the sparks fly in Hungarian pieces by Liszt and Brahms. “In our duo, Gvantsa provides me with the roots I need: if I am the element of air, my sister is the element of earth”, Khatia remarks. “Of course I find it incredibly enriching to play with other musical partners, but I feel more in harmony with my sister; in her company, I can truly be myself.”