The first compositions for a piano duo appeared in Russia at the end of the 18th century. At that time, the piano was rapidly superseding the harpsichord, to become the favorite instrument for home music–making in aristocratic families. The fashion in the development of the piano duo culture was set by numerous foreign composers who had prepared the ground for the first Russian classical phenomena to appear. However, despite the immense popularity and craving for such pieces in Russia, the musical literature of the 19th century Russian piano duo is not so large. The program presented here contains all the finished opuses in this genre created by Glinka, Dargomyzhsky, Mussorgsky, and Borodin — the titans of Russian music.

Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (1804–1857) is rightly recognized as father of Russian music, and creator of Russian classical music language. His piano heritage is laconic and ample at the same time; this may be said, however, of his compositions in other genres. Glinka composed several original piano duos, among which are minor dance pieces as well as quite extended virtuoso compositions.

Glinka recalls in his Memoirs, “I composed the “Initial Polka” for Easter celebration, as was my sister’s wish. I have been playing that polka in four hands since 1840, and wrote it down in April 1852.” The main theme of the piece was borrowed from a popular old polka, which had been known from the late 18th century, and played by various orchestras at dance parties in Petersburg and Moscow. This is probably the origin of the name “Initial Polka” mentioned in the Memoirs, for this composition is a kind of brilliant variations on a well–known theme.

Glinka’s Polka for four–hand piano is a vivid example of the composer’s individual creative approach — and an amazing combination of absolute completeness and elusive improvisability, and a perfect flexible form. The lyrical intonation of the Polka is typical for the most elegant compositions of the maestro. Without doubt, the Polka has become not only one of the most striking achievements in Glinka’s piano music, but also a greatest achievement of the entire Russian music of the 1st half of the 19th century.

In the Thirties, when Glinka lived in Milan, he wrote the Gallop Impromptu, a four–hand piece on the barcarole theme from Act II of Donizetti’s The Love Potion, for two elder daughters of the Giulini family, with which he was on friendly terms. The composer recalls in his Memoirs, “…when back in Milan, I revived feeling the amazing Italian spring, my imagination was stirred, and I set to work…” In this Impromptu, Glinka embodied his ideas of Italian cantilena and Italian virtuoso singing. The piece displays a joyful feeling of life, which Glinka himself perceived as a startling trait of the Italian ethnic character.

The two Cavalry Trots were written by the young composer in 1829. The elegant miniature pieces are full of charming dancing spirit and are typical for Glinkian piano compositions based on Russian urban tunes.

Glinka composed his famous Capriccio on Russian Themes in 1833 in Berlin, on his way from Milan back to Russia. He used his stay in the city for lessons with the famous German professor Siegfried Dehn, to systemize his musical theory knowledge. In the Capriccio, Glinka used three Russian folk songs contrasting in their mood and motion: the grand “White Snow All Around”, the dance–like “In The Orchard, In The Garden”, and the wedding “Lady’s Tower Of Hewn Logs”. The composer skillfully develops the songs’ themes using diverse techniques of polyphony. The Capriccio undoubtedly became one of Glinka’s greatest artistic achievements contributing to the emergence of the Russian national musical style. It is the origin of many important strings connecting Glinka and the Russian Five composers. Both in the way the theme is developed, and in its musical format, the opus anticipates many symphonic compositions of Balakirev, Rimsky–Korsakov, and Lyapunov.

The Slavic Tarantella of Alexander Sergeevich Dargomyzhsky (1813–1869) was composed in Brussels in early 1865. The composer wrote in a letter to his sister, “…I have just written a rather large and amusing 4–hand piano piece; weakest pianists, and even those who have never touched the piano in their life, can play it. The outcome’s not bad at all.” The secondo part in the Tarantella is as simple as can be: just two A notes alternate throughout the piece. On the contrary, the primo part is remarkably inventive, transparent, expressive, and close to the Glinkian piano style in its presentation.

The first part of the Four–Hand Piano Sonata of Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839–1881) was written in 1860. The manuscript of the opus contains designations of orchestra instruments, and a note reading “a symphonic exercise in orchestra”. All this indicates the initial orchestra concept of the Allegro, which was never accomplished. To this sonata Allegro, the composer attached a Scherzo for piano solo, written two years before and slightly modified and adapted for four hands. It is in Scherzo that Mussorgsky’s bright individuality shows the most. The composer uses here characteristic variable Russian and Ukrainian scales, with a colorful imitation of Russian folk instruments in the middle episode. The piece is laden with fresh melodic material, full of humor, and remarkable for perfect finishing of the texture.

Alexander Porfirievich Borodin (1833–1887) did not leave us a sizeable piano heritage, and his three four–hand piano pieces are the more interesting. Borodin composed the Hélène Polka at the age of ten, about the year 1843. He wrote it down much later, in the 1850s. This lovely piece is typical for Russian dance music of that era, and its melodic turns are close in their attitude to urban romance songs. Allegretto was written in 1861 in Heidelberg. Borodin met Elena Protopopova there, who was a gifted pianist and soon became his wife. He dedicated several four–hand compositions to her, of which only Allegretto has survived. In this piece, the composer used the material of his string quintet of 1853. The Tarantella was written in Italy in 1862, when Borodin was strongly fascinated by Mendelssohn’s music. And although the influence of the German composer is strongly felt in this piece, one cannot avoid noting the characteristic Russian color of the work, and much of what is typical for mature Borodin’s compositions.

Glinka composed the Waltz Fantasia in its first original version in 1839. The final orchestra version of this famous opus came out in 1856, one year before the composer’s death. The popular transcription by Sergey Lyapunov for a four–hand piano is greatly based on the orchestra version, though it also very precisely follows the original Glinkian piano material.

It is known that Franz Liszt was a great admirer of Glinka’s music. His four–hand transcription of the magnificent Chernomor’s March from the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila may serve as a striking proof. This piece, one of the greatest in Russian symphonic repertoire, was arranged by Liszt carefully, conveniently in a piano way, and catchily.

We present music of Russian composers of the 19th century performed by prominent Petersburg pianists Alexander Sandler and Piotr Laul. They both graduated from St. Petersburg Conservatory, though with an 18–year interval, and both are currently its teachers.

Alexander Sandler is a leading professor who has educated a constellation of brilliant concretizing musicians known both in and outside Russia. He is also recognized as an excellent pianist regularly appearing in recitals and chamber concerts. His disciple Piotr Laul, one of the brightest younger–generation pianists in Petersburg, studied with Alexander Sandler at the Special Lyceum of Music and later in the Conservatory. First prize winner at the Bremen and Moscow Skriabin competitions, Piotr Laul tours much, both as soloist and chamber pianist. His performer’s image is recognizable by a special optimistic attitude, grand–scale ideas, and high intellect.

United in a duo, Alexander Sandler and Piotr Laul demonstrate unity of style, synchronous breath, and a common intonation. Still, either musician clearly displays his own artistic features. Alexander Sandler plays the primo part exquisitely, subtly, with sudden intonations and rhythms, while remaining simple and artless. In his secondo part, Piotr Laul emphasizes expressive harmonies and springy rhythms, and finds original register solutions.