Two Marimbas in Berlin

The two players who make up DoubleBeats sound as one in this bold, brilliantly performed recording. But Lukas Böhm and Ni Fan aren’t simply wonderful players; their arrangements of Bach, Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Piazzolla and Haydn have been brilliantly crafted, each piece emerging freshly minted, yet with its character fully intact. Their selection of a few of Bach’s Goldberg Variations is bursting with vitality and hushed intimacy, while the wit of Haydn’s Variations in A Major bubbles irresistibly to the surface. The album ends with the explosive “Marimba Spiritual” by Minoru Miki, Böhm putting on a dazzling display as percussionist while Fan solos on the marimba, showcasing an extraordinary range of expression, colour and sheer drama.