Music for 2 pianos

[orbital]

I am seeing a lot of CD's with piano music for 4 hands, and I don't know/have any. Can anyone recommend interesting pieces/recordings in this genre? Ravel, Rachmaninov, Brahms, Scriabin, all have works in this area AFAIK

[lukeottevanger]

Why not add in piano duet whilst you're at it. Between them the two genres have a number of true masterpieces (by which I mean - amongst the greatest music of their composer). Amongst which, and in no particular order, let me mention the first to spring to mind:

Schubert's F minor Fantasie
Messiaen's Visions de l'Amen
Satie's Trois morceaux en forme de poire
Ligeti's Monument-Selbstportrait-Bewegung

and, at the more extreme end of things:
Stockhausen's Mantra (needs electronics too)
Ives' Three Pieces Quarter-tone Pieces (one piano tuned a quarter-tone apart from the other)

Edit - how terrible, I forgot the Debussy masterpieces, which are really right at the top of the pile:

En blanc et Noir
Six epigraphes antiques

[beclemund]

I found this recording quite enjoyable:

[lukeottevanger]

Another one I really like is Robin Holloway's Gilded Goldberg's. Sacriligeous, perhaps, this is a set of variations upon each of the Goldberg variations, with stylistic transformations in abundance (Scarlatti, Enescu, Grainger, Dowland, Schubert, Brahms........my favourite is a lightening quick journey through music in triple time, as Holloway glosses Bach's original with minuets and so on from Bach to Hindemith). It's a real blast, but not only that, and it's consumately realised. Holloway was composing this at the same time as I was having him for lectures; I remember my composer-pianist friend Huw Watkins going to him for composition lessons and coming back with tales of how Robin had asked him to play through the GG's as they flew off the press.

[Drasko]

Stravinsky - Concerto for two Pianos (sans orchestra)
Poulenc - Sonata for two Pianos

I can't recall any Scriabin aside one very early piece.

[MishaK]

Do you mean music for piano four hands or music for two pianos? There are both flavors.

A few interesting recordings:

Solti/Perahia/Glennie: Bartok Sonata for Two Pianos & Percussion, Brahms Haydn Variations for Two Pianos

Barenboim/Lupu: Schubert Grand Duo, Marches Militaires

Perahia/Lupu: Mozart Sonata for 2 pianos, Schubert Fantasia F minor

Argerich/Freire: Rachmaninov Suite No.2 for 2 pianos, Ravel la Valse

Argerich/Pletnev: Tchaikovsky Cinderella, Ravel ma Mère l'oye

Argerich/Rabinovitch: Strauss Sinfonia domestica, Dukas l'Apprenti sorcier, Ravel la Valse

Robert & Gaby Casadesus: Debussy en blanc et noir

Lyubov Bruk & Mark Tamianov: Philips Great Pianists 2CD set packed with 2 piano and piano 4 hands gems

Poulenc/Fevrier/Conservatoire/Pretre: Poulenc Concerto for 2 pianos

Solti/Barenboim/Schiff/ECO: Mozart Concertos for 2 and 3 pianos

How's that for a start?

[lukeottevanger]

I have no idea if it's a good piece or not, but this morning (prompted by a post I made on the Art Tatum thread) I popped over to Kyle Gann's website to see if he had any new scores up. Lo and behold, there were a few, of which a number were for two pianos. I'm only telling you this because of the title of one, spectacularly named Don't Touch My Pint

[orbital]

Do you mean music for piano four hands or music for two pianos? There are both flavors.

Probably both, but I am assuming material for 2 pianos would be more interesting.

Thank you all , looks like I'll have a lot of investigating to do, but Rachmaninov and Ravel are no brainers.

[MishaK]

Probably both, but I am assuming material for 2 pianos would be more interesting.

Depends. There is of course more things that you can do in the way of doubling up and exploring sonorities if both pianists have access to the entire range of the instrument and each has a separate set of pedals. But there are deviously delicious pieces for single instrument four hands as well. All of Schubert's four hands pieces are gems, particularly the Grand Duo and the Fantasia.

[lukeottevanger]

...and you know what - it might be to cutesy and popular for the tastes of some, but familiarty shouldn't blind us to the fact that Faure's Dolly Suite is a really special little work. Just the definition of what piano duet (as opposed to 2 pianos) ought to be.

One I meant to say in my first post, and how stupid of me not to - Ravel's Ma mere l'oye, though it's already been mentioned. This little piece is the true essence of Ravel, like L'enfant et les sortileges or Histoires naturelles. I don't really know how I could have forgotten it - it was played at my wedding (the aforementioned Huw Watkins took primo....). My wife walked in to the first movement, the Pavane de la belle au bois dormant ; we walked out to the last, Le jardin féerique. Both were perfect choices, I think.

[pjme]

A great piece is Hindemith's sonata for two pianos - try the opening allegro "Glockenspiel"!!!!

[MishaK]

STRAVINSKY!

There is actually a very fun recording of the two piano version of the Rite with Fazil Say playing both parts. He recorded I and then recorded II while listening to his recording of I over earphones.

[Guido]

> http://www.amazon.com/Stravinsky-Music-Pianos-Four-Hands/dp/B00000147U

Yes Stravinsky - Love both the concerto and the Sonata. It even features a good review by our very own Karl Henning!

[Maciek]

Lutoslawski wrote a lot of two piano transcriptions/variations during the war. Of these only one work survives: the Paganini Variations. Though obviously a work of light calibre, I still think it's a gem.

Also, if you don't mind minimalism, this is a real fun set (though difficult to listen through in one go, obviously):

Simeon Ten Holt - Music for multiple pianos (11 CDs, Brilliant Classics)

[The Mad Hatter]

Shostakovich wrote a terrific Concertino for two pianos. Not sure how many recordings are out there, though.

[johnshade]

~


Consider this. It contains one of Bartok's best compositions, Sonata for 2 pianos and percussion. Martha Argerich!!

[Bogey]

Just went on my wish-list.

[Rabin_Fan]

An interesting recording:
Perahia/Lupu: Mozart Sonata for 2 pianos, Schubert Fantasia F minor
How's that for a start?

O-Mensch, Looking to buy this one on the Sony Expanded Masterworks edition. I heard Lupu live in Beethoven PC 4 (replacing AS Mutter in Dvorak VC with the Philharmonia & Muti) - he "bashed" out a Beethoven 4 that gave me a headache. Not been a great fan since. Any comments on this CD? I bought the Tal & Groethuysen CD from Sony - am very happy with it.

Also we could look at the Brahms Op 39 Waltzes as 4-hand piano music. Any suggestions please? R-F

[MishaK]

Lupu can have his off nights. I heard him give a recital the first half of which sounded like he was stoned. The two CDs I listed above, however, show him from his best side: stunning control of dynamics, colors and phrasing. The Fantasia with Perahia and the Grand Duo with Barenboim I would consider reference material.

[orbital]

Thanks to everyone for their input.
The Naxos Stravinsky, Ravel-Debussy,  the Barenboim/Lupu (and a Scriabin PC I couldnt resist ,along with them) have just been ordered. These three, I think will be a good start. I am particularly anxious to hear the Rite on 2 pianos