A B O U T  T H E  P R O G R A M

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The Piano Four hands duet is a formation strongly linked to evening salon events which became popular during the Schubertiade in the early 19th century, and the French soiree musical gatherings of noucentista. Franz Schubert was one of the first creators for this formation which involves two pianists playing the same piano simultaneously and contributed numerous works that even today are considered the most representative of the genre. His  “Fantasy in F minor”, in particular, is considered a rite of passage for any stable piano duo.  “Lebensstürme”  (the storms of life) is a work of anguish and great dramatic expression, contrasting with  tender and graceful passages  The work  reflected the character of the Austrian composer, tormented for most of his life with ill health.

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Salon music lived its second golden age in France, especially in the Parisian salons, between the 19th and 20th centuries. At that time, collaborations between composers and pianists were common, and Spanish inspired works (or those related to exoticism) were often the cornerstone of the repertoire performed. One of the great French composers who constantly turned his gaze to the south was Maurice Ravel (born in Hendaye, a few kilometers from on the Basque-French border). Like so many other Impressionist composers he created many works of Iberian evocation, among them the following stand out;  “Alborada del Gracioso”, “Bolero” or “Spanish Rhapsody”. The world of Impressionist sounds, full of acoustic imagination, crossed French borders and were well received in countries like Russia or Spain. In Russia, orientalism and exoticism were also highly attractive to artists, due to the cultural eclecticism of such a large and culturally diverse country. Nikolai Rimsky-Kórsakov, one of history’s greatest orchestral composers, was influenced from beyond his borders on many occasions in works such as 'Sherezade', 'The invisible city of Kitezh' and the 'Spanish Caprice'. Meanwhile, many Spanish composers traveled to Paris to channel their folkloric inspirations into Impressionist worlds. Among others, Albéniz, Granados, Turina and Manuel de Falla met in Paris where they exchanged ideas among themselves and with great local and international musicians, such as Debussy and Stravinsky. 'La vida breve', a successful opera by Manuel de Falla, was premiered in Nice in 1913 and still enjoys great popularity today.