A propos combines two piano pieces that have been composed in quick succession for different occasions. A propos ... de Diabelli was created for Rudolf Buchbinder's "Diabelli Project" in the Beethoven year 2020 and was also released on CD together with his recording of the Diabelli Variations. A propos ... de raisins rouges, Johannes Maria Staud wrote in 2019 for the pianist Mathilde Hoursiangou as part of her project “Saiten-Tasten”, which is dedicated to researching playing techniques in the interior of the piano.

A propos … de Diabelli was commissioned by Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde Wien, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Brucknerhaus Linz, Philharmonie de Paris, Gulbenkian Foundation Lissabon, Klavierfestival Ruhr and the Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zurich, kindly supported by the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung.

A propos ... de raisins rouges was commissioned by the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna for the project Saiten–Tasten by Mathilde Hoursiangou, kindly supported by the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung, the SKE-Fonds of the Austro Mechana and the Federal Chancellery of the Republic of Austria.