This is the earliest surviving instrumental duet by Janácek. It is in a free sonata form and might well have been named "Sonata" or "Sonata-fantasy," but Janácek's penchant for drama emerges here. The piece is inspired by Vasily Zhukovsky's poem The Tale of Tsar Bendvei, which itself is a modern poetic adaptation of old heroic tales. The plot involves a young warrior-prince who finds himself taken by the king of the underworld. He has to triumph in tests of valor and magic, and is aided in this by the king's daughter, who has fallen in love with Bendvei. Janácek was a late bloomer, musically, and although he was approaching 60 when he wrote the piece, he was still developing his most familiar late style. Nevertheless, the work abounds with the very short melodies which are Janácek's thumbprint, allowing for brisk, effective musical story-telling.

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