Among the works of Leoš Janáček (1854–1928), we do not find many compositions for solo piano, but all of them exhibit an original approach to piano technique and expression. This is also the case with the cycle On an Overgrown Path, the oldest parts of which were already finished in 1900 and were originally for harmonium. They were first printed in volumes of Slavonic Melodies (1901 and 1902 in Ivančice) without the programmatic titles that first appeared in the complete edition of Series I in 1911 and are often connected with the milieu of Janáček’s childhood. No. 4, The Madonna of Frýdek, refers to the Church of the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Frýdek, a destination for pilgrimage processions. The musical imagery depicts the mysterious atmosphere of the place, and Janáček uses dynamics to illustrate the gradual approach of the pilgrims towards their goal. According to the composer, They Chattered Like Swallows is based on “a curt motif of female chattering” that is extended into a protracted song, and the title Good Night! Is undoubtedly connected with the feeling when falling asleep and, as the composer added, with parting.

From its first performance, piano was designated as the instrument for performances of the cycle On an Overgrown Path. According to the catalogue of Janáček’s works, Jan Kunc premiered the work at a concert of the Moravian Teachers’ Association on 6 January 1905, but individual pieces had undoubtedly also appeared earlier on the programmes of cultural events in Moravia, such as in Bučovice in September 1904.

Couperin had far-reaching influence on later generations of keyboard instrument players, including composers of the 20th century. The father of Maurice Ravel (1875–1937) was of Swiss origin, and the composer’s mother came from the Basque country. After Ravel’s birth, the family settled in Paris. The fact that Ravel often took inspiration from the music of Spain and exotic places did not overshadow his deep roots in French musical culture. He laid claim many times to the legacy of the French harpsichordists, and he paid a tribute to Couperin in the title of his six-movement cycle Le tombeau de Couperin (The Grave of Couperin, 1914–1917). The suite consists of six pieces written in Baroque instrumental forms (1. Prélude, 2. Fugue, 6. Toccata) or dance idioms (3. Forlane, 4. Rigaudon, 5. Menuet). Ravel composed the cycle during the First World War, which affected him very intensely. He volunteered to go to the front, but his weak constitution only allowed him to serve as a driver. Nonetheless, he witnessed the cruelty of combat, especially through the fates of his friends. Each piece is dedicated to one of his fallen comrades in arms (the Rigaudon is dedicated to two brothers). In this work, Ravel achieved a unique combination of baroque music’s orderliness with the relaxed procedures of modern harmony and the impressionistic use of the piano’s timbral possibilities.

Franz Schubert (1797–1828) wrote his Fantasy in F minor (D. 940, Op. Posthumus 103) for piano four-hands during the last year of his life in Vienna from January until March 1928. The premiere took place that year on 9 May with the Schubert playing together with his friend the composer Franz Lachner (1803–1890). The work’s four movements are interconnected and are played without a pause. The Fantasy is seen as an example of a work bordering between sonata form and a tone poem.

The first movement (Allegro molto moderato) states the main theme in a dotted rhythm reminiscent of the popular rhythmic figures of the Hungarian style. Oscillations between F minor and F major and the darker second theme offer interesting contrasts. The return of the opening motifs creates a framework resembling sonata form, and a modulation to F sharp minor prepares the arrival of the second movement (Largo), for which the composer found inspiration in the slow movement of Paganini’s Second Violin Concerto. A contrasting mood arrives in the third movement (Allegro vivace) with a middle section in D major. The Finale returns to the main theme of the first movement with alternations between major- and minor-key passages, a contrapuntal second theme, and a conclusion strikingly combining both themes.

Schubert dedicated his Fantasy in F minor to his friend Caroline Esterházy (1811–1851), a native of Pressburg (now Bratislava). Schubert had a hopeless passion for the noblewoman he was giving piano lessons from 1818 to 1824. The arrangement for piano solo two-hands is by Maria Izrailevna Grinberg (1908–1978), a leading representative of the Russian school of piano playing.

The last part of this programme is further confirmation of Russian pianists’ fondness for making transcriptions of famous compositions. This time, the transcription is by Grigory Romanovich Ginzburg (1904–1961), a Russian piano virtuoso and teacher who wrote many piano arrangements characterised by maximum fullness of sound and great technical demands on the performer. This is also the case with the incidental music to Henrik Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg (1843–1907). Grieg himself excerpted numbers from the incidental music in 1874–1875 to create his orchestral Suite No. 1, Op. 46, which contains four movement: Morning Mood, The Death of Åse, Anitra’s Dance, and In the Hall of the Mountain King. The last movement of the suite is especially popular in Ginzberg’s arrangement for its brilliance of sound, and pianists with the greatest technical skill include it in their repertoire.