Three Marches militaires, Op.51 (D.733)

If all of Schubert’s piano-duet marches were placed end to end they would reach from here to beyond the close of the concert. The three Marches militaires of 1822 are only the most familiar of seventeen such works which, taken together, add up to more than two hours of high-quality music. It is true, that as far as creative ambition is concerned, none of the marches - not even the extraordinary Grande Marche héroïque for the Coronation of Nicholas I of Russia - can match up to the monumental “Grand Duo” Sonata in C major or the Fantasie in F minor, which are among the greatest of all works written for four hands at one piano. TheMarches militaires are, on the other hand, entertainingly written for the two pianists, irresistibly melodious, harmonically ingenious and most smartly turned out in terms of both rhythm and colour.