Dvorak, Slavonic Dances Op.46 The Slavonic Dances Op.46 were composed by Dvorak at the age of 37 in 1878 at the request of Brahm’s publisher, Simrock of Berlin. Originally written for piano for four-hands, the Slavonic Dances were modelled upon Brahms’ Hungarian Dances, but composed upon original melodies in the characteristic rhythms of Slavic folk music instead of using real traditional folk melodies. His inspiration was so fresh and vigorous, that he completed them in only two months. The enormous success of the Opus 46 dances led his publisher to request another set of Slavonic Dances in 1886. Grieg, Norwegian Dances Op.35 for 4 hands Grieg’s 4 Norwegian Dances Op. 35 were composed in 1881 in Bergen (his birth town) curiously almost at the same age of Dvorak composing his Slavonic Dances (at 38 years old), after years of intense concert touring far from his homeland. Inspired by Lindeman’s Older and Newer Folk-Dance Music, they were originally written for four-hands piano and they reflect his nostalgic memory of an idyllic Norwegian landscape. The first dance is on the famous Sinclair’s March of the mountainous region of Vågå in northern central Norway. The other three dances are in the rhythm of a “halling”, a quick and acrobatic traditional dance performed by men at weddings and parties in northeast Norway. The fourth dance opens with an introduction newly composed by Grieg and developed in an original way. Poulenc, Sonata for 4 hands Poulenc’s Sonata for four-hands was composed at the young age of 19 years old during a short permanence in London in 1918. The Sonata is constructed on three short movements strongly influenced by the percussive rhythms and repetitive melodic lines of Stravinsky’s Petrushka (a character of the Russian “Comedie de l’Arte”). The final movement is based on a traditional folk song like the Slavonic and Norwegian Dances. Notes by S.Passamonte The Colli&Rubini Duo was born from a long friendship. Martina Colli and Rossella Rubini graduated in piano with distinction from the Music Conservatoire in Teramo, respectively under the guidance of Piero Di Egidio and Erika Vicari. Martina then perfected her repertoire with Oleg Marshev, Andrei Jasinski and Annalisa Bellini, while studying jazz with Toni Fidanza. She gained her second degree in Composition at the “Santa Cecilia” Music Conservatoire in Rome with Alessandro Sbordoni, then completed her studies with Dieter Schnebel in Berlin. Rossella received a full scholarship to attend the classes of Alfons Kontarsky at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and gained a Master degree in Music with Honours at the “La Sapienza” University in Rome. She than continued her chamber music studies with Pier Narciso Masi in Florence and Bruno Canino in Rome.