For György Kurtág, Mussorgsky's works have always been an important model. Several of his works contain pieces referring to Mussorgsky (Games III, The Small Snag), and in his opera, Fin de partie, he also refers to Mussorgsky's declamation style. He made these two transcriptions for piano duet in 1989, continuing a series of his earlier pre-Classical transcriptions. The transcriptions were premiered by the composer and his wife, Márta.