Although this composer returned to these popular works several times, rearranging them first for solo piano and later for orchestra, the first version of the dances was composed for piano four hands.
He premiered the work at a private gathering of friends, with the wife of his mentor performing the other part.
Famously, they formed a deep emotional involvement after his mentor's death, and many have speculated that his four-hand music might have purposefully included numerous "romantic" hand-crossings…
