He has raised funds for the immunization of Third World infants and for AIDS research. The arts, however, are different. That doesn't stop us from trying to identify the greatest instrumentalist, singer and conductor. But such effort often results in a dyad, a pair linked together as a unit, rather than as a single person. Perlman and Zukerman, Rubinstein and Horowitz, Heifetz and Oistrakh, Toscanini and Furtwangler, Bernstein and Karajan.
Listeners usually divide equally in preferring one to the other.
Volodos seems primarily interested in emphasizing dramatic contrasts and expressing them through the medium of beautiful sounds. It's understandable that listeners might like one of the pianists more, but unfortunate that they might fail to appreciate, even reject, the other pianist. Western culture tells us that duality entered the world with Adam's Fall. Each angel, St. Thomas argued, was a separate species and, therefore, unique. But it also exemplifies the darkened human understanding in action.