[Advanced] Piano Duet Works | Exquisite Masterpieces to Savor the Rich, Weighty Sonorities of Four Hands
The rich resonance woven by four hands, the tension of breathing as one, and dynamic expressiveness.
Piano four-hands is a performance style full of attractions you can’t experience in solo playing.
While the piano is often played by one person, a piano played by two offers a different sonority, joy, and fascination.
Many works for four hands and for two pianos have been left to us.
Here, we present masterworks for advanced players that let you pursue refined technique and expressive power.
Why not open a new door to music with a collection of gems that will command presence at concerts and recitals?
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Advanced Piano Duet Works | Exquisite Masterpieces to Savor the Rich Sonority of Four Hands (21–30)
LibertangoÁstor Piazzolla
Astor Piazzolla, the great Argentine tango composer.
Among his many richly textured, stylish, and wistfully evocative works, the one I especially recommend is Libertango.
Mastering the tango’s rhythm—with its unusual placement of accents—requires a substantial amount of practice.
With wide leaps in the main melody and accompaniment that demands absolute rhythmic precision, it’s a challenging piece on both fronts.
But if you can bring it together in a tightly synchronized performance, you’ll be rewarded with a sense of accomplishment like no other.
If you’re confident in your skills, I encourage you to give it a try.
Rhapsody in BlueGeorge Gershwin
Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin’s masterpiece in which classical and jazz are brilliantly fused.
The original is for solo piano and orchestra, but it is often performed as a piano duet or on two pianos.
Because the piece is essentially concerto-like in form, recreating it on piano naturally results in an enormous number of notes.
The difficulty level is extremely high—it could be called an iconic work for advanced piano duets—but when you succeed in capturing its world with just four hands, you’ll be rewarded with an indescribable sense of fulfillment.
Full of glittering variety that keeps audiences engaged, it’s an ideal choice for concert and recital programs.
La ValseMaurice Ravel
Maurice Ravel, a great composer who produced numerous masterpieces with his avant-garde musicality.
Among his works, La Valse is a particularly beloved piece for piano four hands.
Although it is considered an advanced-level work, it is actually more approachable to perform than its impression suggests.
The sections written on three staves and the coda are the main challenges; in the three-stave section, rapid passages appear one after another.
While there are passages that are physically unplayable in a solo version, the difficulty drops considerably in the four-hand arrangement, making it accessible even for performers just entering the advanced level.
Parade of ClownsEmmanuel Chabrier
The four-hand piece “March of the Jester,” published posthumously as a work by French composer Emmanuel Chabrier, is a colorful and varied composition that seems to portray a jester whose unpredictable movements bewilder the eye.
Its ever-changing character keeps the audience constantly engaged, making it a perfect concert piece.
Although its high level of difficulty often draws attention to technique and ensemble precision, the charm of this work won’t come through unless the performers themselves are enjoying it.
So step into the role of a jester who delights the audience, and have fun performing it!
Piano Concerto “Fate”: First MovementSenju Akira
If you’re looking to play a serious piano duet, I recommend Akira Senju’s Piano Concerto “Shukumei” (Fate).
It’s the piece used in the 2004 TV drama adaptation of Seicho Matsumoto’s long mystery novel “Sand on the Shore” (Suna no Utsuwa), starring Masahiro Nakai, a story that has been dramatized multiple times.
As you’ll hear right away, this piece has none of the bright, pop-like feel; as the word “concerto” suggests, it demands a fully-fledged, classical-style performance.
In recent years, more piano teachers have allowed performances of music from games, anime, and dramas, but choosing and pulling off this piece will astonish audiences.
Its character is weighty and imposing, reminiscent of Beethoven.
The technical demands are considerable, so if there’s a pianist who wants to tackle a robust, advanced-level work, this could be a worthy challenge.
It would be wonderful for two players to rehearse deeply and bring a musical drama to life together.
typewriterLeroy Anderson
If you’re looking for a cheerful and amusing four-hand duet for intermediate players, how about The Typewriter by the American composer Leroy Anderson? A “typewriter” is a machine that predates word processors and modern computers, which prints letters on paper by striking type against it.
This piece cleverly treats the typing sounds—what we’d now associate with computer keyboard clicks—as percussion and incorporates them into the music.
Because the tempo is fast and there are many rapid runs, it’s a good idea to assign the more virtuosic passages with fast runs to the advanced player, and the lower accompaniment part to the intermediate player, and practice accordingly.
As you improve, you can switch parts; if that’s difficult, the advanced player can support the intermediate player.
It’s a delightful piece and perfect for an encore!
From the Bohemian Forest, Op. 68 B.133 No. 1 “The Spinning-Wheel”Antonin Dvořák
Dvořák’s masterpiece From the Bohemian Forest, Op.
68 B.133, No.
1 “Spinning.” Though relatively obscure, you occasionally hear it at piano four-hands recitals.
In terms of difficulty, it falls in the lower to middle range of the advanced level.
Both primo and secondo require delicate, rapid fingerwork, so it may be challenging for those just entering the advanced stage.
It also demands strong expressive ability, making it an excellent piece for building experience.
Be sure to check it out.