[Piano Duets] Guaranteed to get the crowd excited! A roundup of recommended pieces
Piano duet is when two people sit side by side at the piano and, breathing together, perform with four hands.
With duets, you can enjoy a depth and opulence of sound that’s different from solo playing.
Another major attraction is the joy of ensemble—two people creating a single performance together.
This time, we’ve picked out guaranteed crowd-pleasing recommendations from among piano duet pieces!
We’ve gathered cool works that will captivate both players and listeners, so please enjoy to the end!
- [Intermediate] Recommended Piano Duets | A Curated Selection of Cool and Dazzling Pieces
- [Piano Duets] Perfect for recitals! A carefully curated selection of brilliant, crowd-pleasing works
- [Advanced] Piano Duet Works | Exquisite Masterpieces to Savor the Rich, Weighty Sonorities of Four Hands
- [Beginner] Recommended Piano Duets | A curated selection of pieces enjoyable for both adults and children
- [For Beginners] Enjoy Parent-Child Piano Duets! Recommended Songs Introduced
- [Piano Duet × J-POP] A showcase of insanely cool piano duet arrangements all at once
- [Intermediate Level] A curated selection of piano masterpieces featuring strikingly brilliant melodies!
- [Advanced] Super cool if you can play it! Selection of famous piano pieces
- [Piano Recital] Recommended for Boys! A Curated Selection of Cool, Impressive, and Popular Pieces
- [For Elementary School Students] Brilliant, Showy Masterpieces That Sound Impressive at Piano Recitals
- [Popular Piano] Capture the Audience’s Attention! Recommended Pop Songs That Shine at Piano Recitals
- [For Adults] Recommended for Piano Recitals! A Curated Selection of Impressively Sounding Masterpieces
- Piano Masterpieces: Surprisingly Easy Despite Sounding Difficult!? A Curated Selection Perfect for Recitals
Piano Duet Pieces: Guaranteed to Get the Crowd Going! A Roundup of Recommended Works (21–30)
Dragon Quest V “Wedding Waltz”sugiyama kouichi
The nationally popular game Dragon Quest, which invites players on a hero’s adventure, features the “Wedding Waltz,” now arranged for piano four hands.
Supervised by composer Koichi Sugiyama, it is included in the piano collection Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride.
The piece plays during a pivotal scene in the game and leaves a strong impression on those who have played it.
It’s no exaggeration to say this piece represents Dragon Quest V.
Stylistically, it’s a typical Viennese waltz of the 19th century, giving it a very classical feel.
It’s a brilliant, fully realized composition that could easily be mistaken for standard classical repertoire if one didn’t know the game, and it would fit naturally in a piano recital.
It’s best performed with a bright, bridal image in mind.
Small WorldRobert Sherman／Richard Sherman
Created by brothers Robert Sherman and Richard Sherman, this piece was composed for a Disneyland attraction.
Since its premiere at the New York World’s Fair in April 1964, its simple, memorable melody and lyrics wishing for friendship and peace among children around the world have continued to resonate with people everywhere.
When playing it as a piano duet, the Secondo should aim for a light accompaniment, while the Primo should bring out the melody.
Let’s express the Disney world that can be enjoyed by both children and adults!
Super Mario Bros. duet arrangementKoji Kondo
This piano duet arrangement lets two players enjoy performing a bright, sprightly melody that everyone knows.
Its lively rhythm and familiar tune brilliantly capture the game’s world.
The interplay of melody and rhythm, woven in sync by the two performers, evokes the many scenes one encounters on an adventure.
Born in 1985, this piece continues to captivate countless hearts to this day.
The energetic arrangement for piano is perfect for duets with children or between piano learners.
Because the melody is so well-known, parents and children can have fun practicing together.
It’s also a charming piece that lets players experience the joy of breathing together in a duet.
Dragon Quest V “Overture”sugiyama kouichi
While searching for a piano duet piece for a recital, game music is also an option.
The “Overture” from the beloved national hit series Dragon Quest captivates audiences from its opening fanfare and is performed throughout the franchise.
Included in the piano collection “Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride,” supervised by Koichi Sugiyama, it can be performed with a level of fidelity that closely recreates the game’s original sound when using that score.
Frequently arranged for orchestra, the piece has a distinctly classical resonance, and its brilliant, grand melody will surely invite listeners into a hero’s adventure.
Thunder and LightningJohann Strauss II
Here’s an intermediate-level piano duet piece from a classical masterpiece.
Johann Strauss II’s polka “Thunder and Lightning” has been arranged for piano four hands.
The arrangement in the video is included in Noriko Omura’s Duet Piece Selection and is presented as a cool duet piece.
The original is for orchestra, but this arrangement preserves the original timbres while making it fun to play as a duet.
In the orchestral version, the bass drum vividly depicts thunder and the cymbals lightning; in the duet, these are expressed through rapid passages and dynamic contrasts.
When performing, the key is whether you can convey on the piano what the percussion does in the original.
Simply playing loudly will only make the sound muddy.
It’s a good idea to record your performance and aim to capture those subtle nuances!
“Mars” from the suite The Planets, Op. 32-1Gustav Holst
When it comes to The Planets by the British composer Gustav Holst, most people think of Jupiter, but the first movement, Mars, is just as essential.
Characterized by its heavy use of repeated notes, it conveys the grandeur and majesty of the planets that exist in the cosmos.
Although originally an orchestral work, the piano sketch was written for two pianos, allowing it to be performed with a sound that loses little compared to the orchestral version.
Since its debut, the piece has made a strong impact among works themed on space and influenced ideas for later music, including John Williams’s Star Wars.
While performing it as a serious classical piano duet requires stamina, it is highly recommended for those considering an authentic classical duet for a piano recital.
Pairing it with the famous Jupiter will further highlight the appeal of the suite The Planets.
Suite “The Nutcracker,” Op. 71a, No. 3: “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”Pyotr Tchaikovsky
A masterpiece by Tchaikovsky, the great composer born in Russia.
This work is associated with Christmas and is performed around the world every year during the season.
Its most striking feature is the gentle timbre of the celesta, and it portrays the solo dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, queen of the Land of Sweets.
Tchaikovsky was captivated by the instrument’s sound and is said to have incorporated it into the orchestra earlier than other Russian composers.
The left-hand part is played pizzicato by the strings, creating a unique atmosphere.
This piece can also be enjoyed as a piano duet.
Be sure to play it while imagining the charming fairy’s dance.