Het jonge Russische piano-duo, Olga Matieva en Nikolai Martynov, neemt ons mee op reis naar het ‘Oosten’, met Schumann’s ‘Bilder aus Osten’, geïnspireerd door de dichter Al Hariri uit Basra en met ‘Souvenir de la Russie’ van G.W. Marks (pseudoniem van Brahms?). In de Russische muziek van de 19de eeuw is het Oosten nooit ver weg met Moussorgsky, Cesar Cui en Arthur Rubinstein.

“Hammertime Duo”

“Hammertime Duo” is an ensemble exploring the keyboard duo concept as wide as possible. Its’ repertoire lies from Mozart and Dussek to Lutoslawski and Pletnev, and being performed on forte and modern piano(s) in various halls, such as Zaryadye chamber hall and Rachmaninov hall in Moscow, Philharmonia of Bialystok, Sweelinckzaal of Conservatory of Amsterdam and Bullekerk Cultureel Centrum in Zaandam.

Formed by Olga Matieva and Nikolai Martynov during their studying piano, fortepiano and harpsichord at Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, the ensemble started with usual piano duo repertoire. But a few months later an experiment with performing on fortepiano has discovered the way that the duo keeps exploring now…

The name of the duo comes from the mechanics of fortepianos and pianos (where so-called “hammers” are so necessary) and repertoire for these instruments that keeps growing since the 18th century. Passionate about discovering rare pieces, relevance of period instruments’ sound and marvellous opportunities that this gives, the duo “Hammertime” graduated from S. Kasprov, O. Martynova and O. Filippova classes cum laude, and now continues education at Conservatory of Amsterdam with Olga Pashchenko.

Moessorgski Sonata for Four Hands

Olga Matieva & Nikolai Martynov at Conservatorium van Amsterdam

Programma ‘Pictures from the East’

a travel to Russian 19^th century music for fortepiano duo

Robert Schumann (1810 – 1856)

“Bilder aus Osten” (6 Impromptus) op. 66 (1848)

1. Lebhaft
2. Nicht schnell und sehr gesangvoll zu spielen
3. Im Volkston
4. Nicht schnell
5. Lebhaft
6. Reuig, andachtig

G. W. Marks (Johannes Brahms?)

“Souvenir de la Russie” (transcriptions en forme de fantaisies sur des airs russes et bohémiens) op. 151 (or ahn. 4/6) (1852?)

1. Hymne Nationale Russe de Lvoff (after the anthem “God Save the Tsar” by Aleksey Lvov)
2. Chansonnette de Titoff (after the song “The Branch” by Nikolai Titov)
3. Romance de Varlamov (after the song “Don’t You Wake Her at Dawn” by Aleksandr Varlamov)
4. Le Rossignol, de A. Alabyev (after the song “The Nightingale” by Aleksandr Alabyev)
5. Chant Bohémien (after the Bohemian folksong “There’s a Big Village on the Road”)
6. Chant Bohémien (“Kosa”) after the Bohemian folksong “The Plait”

——–     interval      ———

Cesar Cui (1835 – 1918)

Scherzo op.2 “à la Schumann” (1857)

Modest Moessorgski (1839 – 1881)

Sonata for piano four-hands (1860)

1. Allegro assai
2. Scherzo

Anton Rubinstein (1829 – 1894)

6 Pièces caractéristiques Op.50 (1858)

1. Nocturne
2. Scherzo
3. Barcarole
4. Capriccio
5. Berceuse
6. Marche

Opmerking van Nikolai Martynov:

In the programme I’ve marked Johannes Brahms with a question mark, because his authorship is doubtful, even though Marks seems to be just a pseudonym created by 19th century publishers.