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Can you guys reccomend some two-piano pieces for my brother and me to play? I would prefer it to be exciting and dramatic, probably romantic. Difficulty doesn't matter too much but for what it's worth I can play the Tempest sonata and Ballade no.1. Any suggestions? Thanks.

There's a really nice transcription of Ravel's "Mother Goose" suite for two pianos.

Rzewski -- Winnsboro Cottonmill Blues

It's not romantic, but it's so exciting.

Three Romantic Waltzes by Chabrier. Mozart's Sonata. En Blanc et Noir by Debussy. Concerto for Two Pianos Solo by Stravinsky.

Those are increasing order of difficulty. When you get through them, ask again.

The famous Schubert Fantasia in f minor Op. 103.

Poulenc wrote a few pieces for 2 pianos including a wonderful and very exciting sonata

Scaramouche - Chabrier


John

Yes the 4 hands Sonata is great - quite awkward to perform (I'm sure intentionally!) but totally worth it.

If Rachmaninoff is Romantic enough for you, try the two Suites for two pianos:

Fantaisie-Tableaux (Suite No 1) Op 5*
Suite No 2, Op 17

The Symphonic Dances of Rachmaninoff were also scored for two pianos. They are "fun" works.

* The first movement of this suite, Barcarolle, has always been a particular favourite of mine. It is as rich and lush as Rachmaninoff gets, with lots of 2 against 3 in both pianos at the same time.

Regards,

Lutoslavsky Paginni Variations. They are difficult though.

Scaramouche is not by Chabrier. It is by Milhaud. The famous Schubert Fantasia in f minor Op. 103 is not famous enough for some people to know that like all Schubert's works for four hands, it was written for one piano. Poulenc wrote a sonata for one piano four hands, and one for two pianos.

My personal favorite (which I can play) is
Grand Tarantelle for Piano and Orchestra by Louis Moreau Gottschalk.

He was perhaps the only American composer that was widely accepted and acclaimed in Europe yet his pieces have a uniquely American sound to them. Many of his tone poems (because they tell stories via the music) memorialize life in the civil war era and he was often called "the father of ragtime."

This piece however is distinctly classical.

You can unload a terrific version of it from iTunes. Get the one with Maurice Abravnel on piano accompanied by the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

The four-hand reduction is slightly abridged as well as arranged for reasonably advanced players. If you can play Malaquena or a Chopin Valse or Polonaise you can play this.

I have the book somewhere. Let's see. . .

Victor Herbert? No.
Sigmund Romberg? No.
Cole Porter? No.

I guess I don't have it handy. It is in print and it's available at music stores. It's pretty much a direct reprint of the old old victorian-looking sheet music but it is great fun to play.

My brother and I played duets until he scored a near-perfect SAT score and got kidnapped by some ivy league school and i never saw him again.

Get it, or get the itune and let me know what you think. I think you will either love it or hate it.

USAPT

PS: I use a digital piano to record primo or secondo and then play it back and it works well enough. 64-note polyphony minimum if you plan on using the sustain pedal ever.

USAPT

Oops, overlooked/misread the original post. Thanks though for the un-sarcastic, incredibly warm and kind correction of my oversight. :rolleyes:

I am afraid that I was expressing my aversion to the Fantasie, which has a popularity which I feel not only is unmerited, but ends up obscuring the many better duets that Schubert wrote.

It's not romantic in nature, but Scaramouche, by Milhaud is very exciting and fun, and quite challenging to do up to tempo.

Norman Dello Joio, Aria and Tocatta for two pianos.
Fun, not difficult, and effective.

Harder: Copland's arrangement of Billy the Kid for two pianos.

Even Harder: Brubeck's "Points on Jazz" arranged for two pianos.

Shostakovich wrote a tarantella for two pianos. It's fun and easy, maybe too easy for you.

You're right of course. I remembered correctly just as I logged on just now.


John

I was referring to teh 4 hands/2 pianos sonata, which I think is better than the 4 hand/1 piano work.

Someone else mentioned the Symphonic Dances (Rachmaninov). They're great too, at least to listen to. I even prefer the piano version to the orchestral one.