![[Intermediate] Recommended Piano Duets | A Curated Selection of Cool and Dazzling Pieces](https://i.ytimg.com/vi_webp/T8xcbcGtuBk/maxresdefault.webp)
Piano duet pieces performed with four hands simultaneously are all dazzling and cool! When choosing a piece to present at a recital, many people may wonder, “What kind of piece will make a big impression?” or feel stuck because “They all seem difficult, and I can’t decide…”.
So this time, from among luxurious and brilliant duet pieces, we’re introducing recommended works at the intermediate level! They all sound grand, but since the parts are shared between two players and there are many intermediate-level arrangements, these pieces are easy to try without feeling overwhelmed.
We hope this helps you choose your next duet piece.
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[Intermediate] Recommended Piano Duets | A Curated Selection of Cool and Showy Pieces (1–10)
Electrical ParadeVarious Artists
The music from Disneyland’s famous parade, the “Electrical Parade,” has been arranged as a piano duet for four hands.
If you’re looking for duet pieces, Disney’s bright and cheerful songs will bring a delightful, dreamlike moment to listeners.
Beloved Disney tunes appear one after another in a medley.
In a four-hands piano duet, two people play together, so there are many sections to divide up: accompaniment, melody, interjecting countermelodies, and plenty of obbligato lines.
With an orchestral-like timbre and a high degree of fidelity to the originals, this duet arrangement is irresistible for Disney fans.
There are some difficult passages, but the charm of duets is playing together—let’s help each other and grow.
Because there are many notes, intermediate players might find it challenging, but that’s exactly why you improve when you love what you do.
Practice a lot and let’s make it playable!
Sword DanceAram Khachaturian
A highly faithful, cool, and recommended piece for four-hand piano is “Sabre Dance,” used in the final act of Aram Khachaturian’s 1942 ballet Gayane.
The opening timpani and off-beat strings, followed by the xylophone’s exhilarating, fast-paced melody, are impressively recreated in piano duet form.
While there are solo piano arrangements, dividing the melody and accompaniment between two players achieves a much higher level of fidelity than a single performer can.
Although there are technically demanding passages for the performers, the cross-handed playing showcases the essence of duet performance, making it visually engaging as well as musically captivating for listeners.
Hungarian Dance No. 5Johannes Brahms
When someone asks, “What are the classic works for piano four hands?”, this piece is surely what many people think of! Johannes Brahms’s Hungarian Dances is a collection of piano duets comprising 21 pieces in four sets.
Based on the music of the Roma of Hungary, it is also very popular in its orchestral versions.
Among them, No.
5 from the first set is especially well-known and frequently performed in concerts.
A hallmark—and challenge—of this piece is the flexible tempo that reflects the free spirit of Roma music.
Feel each other’s breathing and align your timing perfectly as you play.
Tritsch-Tratsch-PolkaJohann Strauss II
A polka composed by Johann Strauss II, known as the “Waltz King” in 19th-century Vienna.
Premiered in 1858, it depicts Viennese love of gossip through a piano duet.
Its light, cheerful melody is distinctive, with various instruments sounding as if they are engaged in conversation.
In Japan, it is often used as background music at school sports festivals, so many people may have heard it.
Although only about two and a half minutes long, it is packed with rich musical content and delights listeners.
Evoking the atmosphere of Viennese high society, this work is recommended for anyone who wants to enjoy classical music casually.
He’s a Pirate from the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean.”Klaus Badelt/Hans Zimmer
When a piece that isn’t originally for piano four hands is forcibly arranged for it, it often ends up feeling heavy-handed.
However, this arrangement of “He’s a Pirate” from the film Pirates of the Caribbean doesn’t feel forced at all.
In fact, among Disney works, it might be one of the best suited for piano duet performance.
This immensely well-known piece can be played impressively and brilliantly even by two intermediate players.
In a duet, the expanded range and voices create a rich texture, letting you enjoy a performance that sounds almost orchestral.
In the MoodJoe Garland
How about a four-hand duet jazz piece for intermediate players? In the Mood, the big band jazz standard composed by Joe Garland, offers a delightful and fun time for two intermediate pianists playing a duet.
It’s a very upbeat jazz number, famously popularized by the Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1939, and is considered one of the group’s signature tunes.
While duet pieces may often evoke a classical image, choosing jazz works well too, and it’s worth adding to your repertoire.
Since it’s jazz, some improvisational skill is required; however, many scores include guides, so if you have a score with a guide, try following it first.
Unlike classical music, jazz involves improvisation, so once you’ve practiced and feel more comfortable, it might be good to study the chord progressions and challenge yourself with ad-libbing.
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!