Concertante works for two (or more) pianos

[kyjo]

Not sure if a thread on this subject has been created yet, but I figured I might as well do so! Concertante works for two (or more) pianos are a niche interest of mine, as I find the interplay between multiple pianists and orchestra to be so engaging. Of course, the delightful concerti for these forces by Mozart and Poulenc are quite well-known, as are - to a lesser extent - those by Bruch, Martinů, and RVW. But, digging deeper, there's a decently-sized repertoire for these forces, mostly by lesser-known 20th century composers. Just yesterday I was listening to this fine album:



The concerto by American composer Dana Suesse (1909-1987) is quite a beautiful work in a predominantly late-romantic style. There are occasional jazzy influences, but less than I expected considering the composer's extensive background in that genre. My only complaint is that the 3rd and 4th movements are too short at only 2 and 3 minutes long respectively - there's promising material in both movements that could've been developed further. I see that her Concerto in Three Rhythms for piano has been recorded by Naxos, which I very much look forward to hearing!

The concerto by fellow American Harl McDonald (1899-1955) is another thoroughly enjoyable discovery. Many of his orchestral works (which often have colorfully "American" titles) were recorded back in the day by Stokowski and Ormandy, but he's received scant attention in recent years. The first two movements have plenty to commend them (especially the uproarious ending of the first), but it is the finale, titled Juarezca, that steals the show. As a certain YouTuber would say, it's more fun than anyone has any right to have, and is as festive and colorful a depiction of Mexico as, say, Copland's El Salon Mexico, perhaps even more so!

I haven't listened to this recording of the RVW concerto yet, but of course there's more formidable competition to be had there. Throughout both works, the Long Duo play quite convincingly, as do the cumbersomely-named Eskişehir Greater Municipality Symphony Orchestra from Turkey under the direction of Patrick Souillot. Quite the multicultural affair indeed! 

[kyjo]

Also of note are these two double-disc releases from MSR Classics titled "20th Century Masterworks for 2 Pianos and Orchestra". The predominantly rare (with the obvious exception of the Poulenc) and interesting contents are as follows:

Volume 1:



Nikolai Lopatnikoff: Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra
Alexandre Tansman: Suite for 2 Pianos and Orchestra
Gianfrancesco Malipiero: Dialoghi VII for 2 Pianos and Orchestra
Nikolai Berezovsky: Fantaisie for 2 Pianos and Orchestra
Francis Poulenc: Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra
Robert Starer: Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra
Paul Creston: Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra

Volume 2:



Pierre-Max Dubois: Concerto Italien for 2 Pianos and Orchestra
Roy Harris: Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra
Arthur Benjamin: North American Square Dance Suite for 2 Pianos and Orchestra
Walter Piston: Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra
Quincy Porter: Concerto Concertante for 2 Pianos and Orchestra
Morton Gould: Dance Variations for 2 Pianos and Orchestra

Whether or not all the pieces contained here are indeed "masterworks" is up for debate, but that's beside the point. So far, I've only listened to Volume 2, of which the highlight for me was probably the characteristic and serious Roy Harris concerto. The Benjamin and Gould works are thoroughly delightful in a lighter vein. The Dubois is witty and urbane in style a la Francaix with some tart harmonies reminiscent of Milhaud, but it's not strongly memorable. I found the Piston and Porter works rather dry and soulless, unfortunately.

[Mandryka]

Georg Friedrich Haas 11.000 Saiten, for 50 microtonally attuned pianos and chamber orchestra 

[Symphonic Addict]

Some compelling works for two pianos and orchestra worth investigating (besides some already mentioned):

Malcolm Arnold: Concerto for piano 3 hands and orchestra *
Darius Milhaud: Concerto for two pianos and orchestra *
Malcolm Williamson: Concerto for two pianos and orchestra
Arthur Bliss: Concerto for two pianos and orchestra *
Alan Hovhaness: Concerto for two pianos and orchestra (aka Symphony No. 45)
Bruno Maderna: Concerto for two pianos and ensemble *
Lennox Berkeley: Concerto for two pianos and orchestra
Grazyna Bacewicz: Concerto for two pianos and orchestra
Henk Badings: Concerto for two pianos and orchestra *
Vittorio Rieti: Concerto for two pianos and orchestra
Sándor Veress: Hommage à Paul Klee, for two pianos and string orchestra *
Heitor Villa-Lobos: Chôros No. 8 for two pianos and orchestra
Benjamin Britten: Scottish Ballad, for two pianos and orchestra
Alan Rawsthorne: Concerto for two pianos and orchestra
Colin McPhee: Tabuh-Tabuhan, for two pianos and orchestra
Geirr Tveitt: Variations for two pianos and orchestra on a folk song from Hardanger *

* Personal favorites