Johan Nijs

Matreshka

For more than a hundred years, the matreshka dolls have been a traditional trademark of Russia. The story behind these dolls is that many years ago, a little Russian girl, Olga, got lost in a forest. When her older sister finally found her, she said, ?Let me hold you. ? Next, their mother also arrived, and said, ?Let me hold you both. ? Subsequently, the grandmother joined them, and said, ?Let me hold you all. ? As a result of this story, these popular ?nesting dolls? came into being. The work Matreshka consists of originally-composed themes. The first theme, reminiscent of a Russian hymn, is followed by another theme in a typically Russian style. A slow passage forms the transition to the final, energetic movement ? this Russian troika in two-four time starts slowly and ends very exuberantly. A great piece of Russian exuberance that will delight any audience.