The two series of piano duets combined in this volume are among Dvořák's most famous compositions and among the most performed works in the piano four hands repertoire. The composer intended them as artistic stylizations of typical Slavonic dances such as the furiant, the dumka, the polka, the skočná, the odzemek, and the kolo.
The first series of eight dances, Opus 46 (1878), is full of joy and vitality. The second set of eight dances, Opus 72 (1886), is slightly more somber and meditative. Both series will delight pianists with their exciting rhythms and fresh, highly individual invention. They are reprinted here from the authoritative Czechoslovakian editions of Dvořák's complete works.