Duo Crommelynck was the name of a notable classical piano duo team active from 1974 to 1994. It consisted of theBelgianPatrick Crommelynck and hisJapanese-born wifeTaeko Kuwata. In 1994, at the height of their fame, they each took their own lives.
Patrick Crommelynck was born inBrussels in 1945,[1]Taeko Kuwata inTokyo in 1947. Patrick studied withStefan Askenase at theBrussels Conservatory, withVictor Merzhanov at theMoscow Conservatory, and withDieter Weber inVienna, where he met Taeko Kuwata, who was another of Weber's students.[2] They married and formed their duo in 1974. They came to attention with their two-piano version ofBrahms's4th Symphony.[2] They achieved considerable praise and recognition and were considered one of the world's leading piano duos.[3][4] They toured widely and a number of composers wrote works for them.[3] These includedAndré Tchaikowsky'sInvention 5b, dedicated to Patrick, and another André Tchaikowsky composition Tango and then Mazurka were arranged for the duo.[2]
Duo Crommelynck made a number of recordings for the SwissClaves label. They recorded music byAuric,Bizet,Brahms,Debussy,Dvořák,Fauré,Messager,Milhaud,Poulenc,Ravel,Schubert,Smetana,Johann Strauss II,[5] andTchaikovsky.[6] These included 2-piano arrangements of Tchaikovsky'sPathétique Symphony, Dvořák'sNew World Symphony, and Smetana'sVltava fromMá vlast. Their three-disc set of the four-hand piano works of Schubert won aGrand Prix du Disque from theAcadémie Charles Cros. They also recorded an entire CD of fragments and unfinished pieces byMozart.
During the weekend of 9–10 July 1994, at the height of their joint careers, they took their own lives inBrussels[3] after an apparent crisis in their relationship.[7] Patrick hanged himself first and his body was discovered by Taeko, who also decided to end her own life in the same way.[8][9] Their bodies were discovered on Monday 11 July.
The Athénée Royal de Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, a Brussels school founded in 1956, was renamedAthénée Royal Crommelynck, de Woluwe-Saint-Pierre after their deaths, in commemoration not only of them but also of other famous Crommelyncks, including the dramatistFernand Crommelynck.[10]
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Patrick Crommelynck | |
| Taeko Crommelynck | |