Belov G. Lambada Briosa for two pianos

The composer Gennady Grigoryevich Belov (born in 1939) — is the graduate of the Petersburg Conservatoire, where his teachers were V. Salmanov and D. Shostakovich. Being the Petersburg Conservatoire professor Belov creates a lot in the genre of opera, orchestral, cantata-oratorio, choral and chamber ones. Among his recent opuses there may be marked the vocal cycles, so as the piano pieces in two and four hands. Belov is the laureate of two International Composers’ Contests (1990, 1995). Lambada briosa (poema ironica) for two pianos appeared in 1994. It was in 1995, when this composition was firstly represented at the International Competition, held by the Tokio Association of Piano Duets. The success came at once in the nomination «Transcription». The Lambada briosa won the competition.

The piece itself is based on the Latin American dancing melody, called lambada, having become the flavour of the month during the 1980ies. Belov follows the principle of quod libet (as you wish), used widely in humorous pieces through the music history. Such medleys usually imbibed various popular themes of diverse styles and origin. This time there were interwined such world hits as lambada itself, the Russian folk song “As the Birch-Tree Stood in the Field” and habanera from «Carmen» by G. Bizet. This is a true piano poema with sonata features. Its gist is saturated with everything desired by any ears. 

The composition may become the cream of crops in piano concert repertoire.