Dynamic piano duo Philip Chiu and Janelle Fung make their collaborative debut at Chamberfest with a dazzling programme featuring music by Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Bax, and Canadian composer Ian Cusson.

Nestled between Debussy's alluring Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune and a high-octane two-piano arrangement of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring is Ian Cusson's new work, Return of the Light. Co-commissioned by Chamberfest, this compelling new work for two pianos receives its Ottawa debut following its official premiere in Montreal earlier this season.

Return of the Light responds directly to Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, moving from winter darkness toward renewal, not through sacrifice or domination, but with gratitude, restraint, and the recognition that survival depends on listening to what the land withholds and what it offers.

Two of Canada's premiere pianists unite for a programme that balances beauty and unease, from the erotic lyricism of Debussy to the shadowed atmosphere of Bax's The Poisoned Fountain, exploring renewal and creation through the lens of nature's regeneration.