Tonight's program begins with three Mozart sonatas (K318/123a in G major, K497 in F major, and K521 in C major), for which a five-octave instrument will be used. After the interval, Schubert’s Grand Duo, D812, and Four Polonaises, D599, played on a six-and-one-half-octave piano, will round off the gemütlich evening.
Following the 1782 publication of C. H. Müller's Drey Sonaten füre Clavier als Doppelstücke fur zwey Personen mit vier Handen von C. H. Müller, the fortepiano 4-hand genre quickly became popular. It is among the simplest kind of chamber music, requiring only two players who together give their instrument a much fuller presence than either one can produce alone. (When a polished performance was not the ultimate goal, the close physical proximity of the players could offer its own rewards!)
