This Rhapsody was written for two pianos for the famous duo Nikolay PETROV and Alexander GHINDIN. The premiere was scheduled for the Tchaikowsky Hall in Moscow, but sadly, Nikolay had a stroke a few weeks before the performance and died 2 months later. Nikolay had taken a very active part in the process of creating the Rhapsody, calling me almost every week to discuss progress and performance details and to give me encouragement.
His death came as a real shock. I was compelled to dedicate the Rhapsody to his memory.
I completed the orchestration this summer. Now the Rhapsody has two versions: a piano concerto version (for piano and orchestra) and concert two-piano version.
but by one of the best short Disney’s movies – The Little Matchgirl.