True international stars, the Labèque sisters have contributed to the popularization of the piano duo. At the end of their studies at the Conservatoire National de Musique de Paris, Katia and Marielle decided to devote themselves to an unlimited repertoire that they have since carried to its acme and which includes baroque, romantic, contemporary, jazz and rock music. A first recording in 1970 of Messiaen's Visions de l'Amen at the dawn of their twenties already showed an appetite for the music of our time. This passion has never waned, as evidenced by their latest CD with Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra entitled "Nazareno!", named after a work by Osvaldo Golijov (born 1960). The original version of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue for two pianos (Philips) has conquered the whole world thanks to them and has sold more than one million copies since 1980.

Between the eldest, Katia the flamboyant, and Marielle the secretive (two years younger), a real musical osmosis has been transmitted since their childhood in the Basque Country, which has forged their reputation. They could have taken the well-trodden path, but they have evolved through numerous encounters; composers such as Berio, Ligeti, Lindberg, Adès, Glass, have crossed their path, as have the jazz guitarist John Mc Laughlin, the flamenco singer Mayte Martin, the baroque musicians Gardiner, Goebel or Antonini... more recently Bryce Dessner and Nico Muhly have written for them.

In June 2018, in an interview for the magazine Cadences, they spoke about their desire to constantly challenge themselves, "For us, the Baroque world was a real Copernican revolution; we had to do a lot of work and think about data such as articulation or about differences in style. We own pianofortes by the German maker Silbermann on which we play 18th century concertos with conductors who have contributed to the evolution of our musical perception."

Solidly established in the recording world with some thirty records for prestigious labels, Katia and Marielle have decided to cut the cord and produce their own CDs under the label KML Recording - an acronym of their first and last names. In the recording studio in Rome that they have invested in, these extraordinary artists can indulge with independence of spirit in plural experiences with two pianos or four hands, combining ardor and poetry with the same connivance.