Pianists Markham, Broadway to Play in AIDS Benefit at Saddleback Tonight

Benefits for the Orange County AIDS Services Foundation are not exactly springing up as plentiful as asparagus in May despite the organization’s increasing financial needs.

But Saddleback College is lending a hand once again by hosting duo-pianists Ralph Markham and Kenneth Broadway in a benefit recital today at 8 p.m.

All proceeds will go to the Orange County AIDS Services Foundation, a private nonprofit agency that provides services to people living with acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS-related complex.

Yamaha is loaning two 9-foot grand pianos at no charge. Saddleback is donating use of McKinney Theatre. Members of the community are paying for the pianists’ air fare and lodging.

Why are the pianists contributing their services?

“One just has to do whatever one can, even though it seems so insignificant compared to the extent of the problem,” Markham said in a recent phone interview from New York. “The magnitude of the suffering is beyond our imagining, so it’s important that you do whatever you can to make people reflect on it. . . . The problem is so much greater than one can even imagine.”

Markham, a Canadian, and Broadway, a Buckeye, met while they were students at the Cleveland Institute of Music. They began playing together in 1975 and in 1980 Musical America magazine named them Young Artists of the Year.

Since then their career has taken off, despite the seeming limitations of the repertory for two pianos.

“That’s the general perception, but that has not been our case,” Broadway said. “Early on, we spent time doing research in major archival centers, not only here but in Europe. . . . We unearthed a surprising amount of music which is out of print and has just been lost by the wayside--some of it rightly so. . . .

“It’s amazing how many composers, either before or after the fact, have done a two-piano version of their music. Always, these composers were wonderful pianists as well.”

An example will be selections from Holst’s “The Planets,” which they will play on the Saddleback program, along with works by Mozart, Liszt, Rachmaninoff and others.

“ ‘The Planets’ was originally notated for two pianos by Holst,” Broadway said. “He came down with severe neuritis in his right arm . . . and could not play through his own sketches. So from the beginning, he notated for two pianos, obviously thinking orchestrally, then had two colleagues come in from time to time to play this music. . . .

“Two pianos can come much closer to duplicating the scope and color (of an orchestra), not to mention the possibilities for dialogue, than one piano.”

Broadway added that Brahms, Ravel and Stravinsky also made use of the two-piano format.

Markham said that neither he nor Broadway decided to abandon a solo career but that playing together “just evolves into something you want to do even more.

“There’s a snowball effect that takes you further than you imagine it would. That’s exactly what happened to us. One thing led to another.”

“It’s important that your own personality has to come through,” he added. “That is what we feel is special about our playing: Using the strengths of the two personalities and building on that. Just a complete rapport that you have to have. . . .

“It’s important with any sort of career of this kind that you avoid intense ambition because I think ambition gets in the way of true creativity or sincerity of what you are doing. Hopefully, we’ve been able to avoid that.”

Duo-pianists Ralph Markham and Kenneth Broadway will offer a recital to benefit the Orange County AIDS Services Foundation at 8 p.m. today at McKinney Theater at Saddleback College, 28000 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo. Tickets: $15 and $25. Information: (714) 497-6271 or (714) 646-0411.