[Piano Duets] Perfect for recitals! A carefully curated selection of brilliant, crowd-pleasing works

Playing a piano together by two people is called a duet, also known as piano for four hands, and it has a unique charm different from solo piano.

While regular piano lessons are basically one-on-one with a teacher, many people might want to try a duet with friends or family at regularly held piano recitals.

On the other hand, when you look for sheet music, it can be hard to come up with suitable duet pieces, which can be a challenge.

So this time, we’re introducing recommended piano duet works that will shine at recitals! Some of the selected pieces even include links to the sheet music, which is very convenient.

They’re perfect not only as recital pieces but also for teachers’ performance numbers.

By all means, use this as a reference when choosing duet pieces to liven up your recital!

Playlist

[Piano Duets] Perfect for recitals! A carefully curated selection of brilliant, crowd-pleasing works
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	Passion ContinentHakasé Tarō		“Affection…” composed by violinist Taro Hakase
2	Beautiful RosemaryFritz Kreisler		Piano duet arrangement of Kreisler’s “Schön Rosmarin”
3	Dragon Quest V “Overture”sugiyama kouichi		The Dragon Quest Overture is perfect for a piano duet
4	Waltz of ParisCatherine Rollin		The composer who gained popularity for her beautiful melodies, Cathari...
5	Jupiter, from the suite “The Planets,” Op. 32Gustav Holst		I recommend the piano four-hand version of Holst’s The Planets.
6	Suite ‘The Nutcracker,’ Op. 71a – TrepakPyotr Tchaikovsky		Introduction to Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite
7	Waltz from MasqueradeAram Khachaturian		Aram Khachaturian, the great composer who represented the former Soviet Union, ...
8	Piano Concerto “Fate”: First MovementSenju Akira		Taking on a full-fledged piano four-hands performance with Akira Senju’s Piano Concerto “Shukumei”
9	Theme of Lupin the ThirdŌno Yūji		The Allure and Performance of the Lupin the Third Theme Song
10	Suite “Dolly,” Op. 56: No. 2, Mi-a-ouGabriel Fauré		Gabriel Fauré’s masterpiece “Suite: Dolly…”
11	Kirby and the Forgotten Land: Dash Across the New WorldOgasawara Yuta		Classical is nice too, but something bright and glamorous…
12	“Mars” from the suite The Planets, Op. 32-1Gustav Holst		Mars from Holst’s The Planets is grand and influential
13	Slavonic Dance No. 8Antonin Dvořák		Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances are ideal for piano four hands
14	Six Pieces, Op. 11: No. 6 “Slava (Glory)”Sergei Rachmaninov		Performance commentary on Rachmaninoff’s piano duet piece “Slava.”
15	Hungarian Dance No. 5Johannes Brahms		When you think of classical piano duets, what comes to mind?
16	Dragon Quest V “Wedding Waltz”sugiyama kouichi		The Wedding Waltz from Dragon Quest V has been arranged for piano duet
17	Prelude from the opera “Carmen”Georges Bizet		The Carmen Prelude is energetic and highly difficult.
18	Thunder and LightningJohann Strauss II		Performing Strauss's Thunder and Lightning as a piano duet
19	Bling-Bang-Bang-BornDJ matsunaga		Rhythm practice with an upbeat rap-style piano track
20	Italian PolkaSergei Rachmaninov		A polka packed with the charm of piano four hands
21	Andante and the Brilliant AllegroFelix Mendelssohn		Known as the composer of the Songs Without Words, the 'Lieder ohne Worte'…
22	Little Suite No. 1: En bateauClaude Debussy		Claude Debussy’s works for intermediate-level players…
23	HabitSEKAI NO OWARI		A series that brings out the appeal of the piano in a different way…
24	Merry-Go-Round of Life – Duet VersionHisaishi Joe		Introduction to the waltz piece from Howl's Moving Castle
25	LibertangoÁstor Piazzolla		He is known as a world-renowned bandoneon player...
26	My Neighbor Totoro – Duet VersionHisaishi Joe		Arrange Ghibli masterpieces for piano duet
27	Czardas for Four HandsTabuchi Saeko		The work known as being for advanced players, “Four Hands ta…
28	Suite “The Carnival of the Animals,” No. 14: FinaleCamille Saint-Saëns		Camille Saint-Saëns’s representative work, …
29	Danse macabre in G minor, Op. 40Camille Saint-Saëns		French composer Camille Saint-Saëns…
30	He’s a Pirate from the movie “Pirates of the Caribbean.”Klaus Badelt/Hans Zimmer		Music from Disney works is also extremely/popular in the piano world…
31	Sing, Sing, SingLouis Prima		When you hear “piano duet,” many people tend to picture something other than classical music…
32	Tico-Tico no FubáZequinha Abreu		In solo play, there’s a work that’s familiar even to beginners, “Ti…
33	Rhapsody in BlueGeorge Gershwin		A magnificent fusion of classical and jazz, Jo...
34	I Want YouÉric Satie		It means “I want you” in French…
35	agitato!Seizuka Shinya		The hugely popular pianist Kiyozuka, who is also active in the media…
36	Rhapsody for Orchestra “Spain”Emmanuel Chabrier		A work that epitomizes Emmanuel Chabrier…
37	“Grand Ritornello” from The Eccentric BeautyÉric Satie		Satie’s satirical work for piano four hands
38	Friend Like Me from the movie AladdinAlan Menken		The Disney production, hugely popular in Japan as well, “The movie ‘A…”
39	hundreds of millions of light-yearsOmoinotake		Omoinotake’s “Gokuokunen” is recommended for piano four hands
40	From the suite “Ma mère l’Oye,” No. 3: “Laideronnette, Empress of the Pagodas”Maurice Ravel		Expressing an Oriental fairy tale of a cursed princess on the piano
41	Whimsical Romanticikimonogakari		Fuji TV drama series “Celeb to Binbō Taro…”
42	Hungarian Dances No. 1Johannes Brahms		Johannes Brahms, based on Gypsy music…
43	In the MoodJoe Garland		The appeal and performance methods of the jazz piano duet piece “In the Mood”
44	Song of LifeTakeuchi Mariya		Lyrics by singer Mariya Takeuchi, music by Pia…
45	CharmenSeizuka Shinya		The much-in-demand TV pianist, Nobu Kiyozuka...
46	typewriterLeroy Anderson		Enjoyable piano four-hands practice with Anderson’s “The Typewriter”
47	Small WorldRobert Sherman／Richard Sherman		In a children-centered piano recital, it’s bright and fun...
48	Sword DanceAram Khachaturian		Khachaturian “Sabre Dance” four-hand piano version
49	From The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires: SpringÁstor Piazzolla		Argentine tango is a popular choice for piano four hands...
50	Super Mario Bros. duet arrangementKoji Kondo		A bright, lighthearted melody that everyone knows...
51	A Town with an Ocean ViewHisaishi Joe		In the Studio Ghibli film Kiki’s Delivery Service, the appearing s…
52	“Game” from the suite “Sunlight”Stoyanov Veselin		Stoyanov’s piano duet piece “Game” is appealing for intermediate players.
53	Overture to the stage production “Candide”Leonard Bernstein		Candide is a philosophical novella by the French philosopher Voltaire…
54	Suite “The Nutcracker,” Op. 71a, No. 8: Waltz of the FlowersPyotr Tchaikovsky		Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece The Nutc…
55	Slavonic Dances, Book I, Op. 46, No. 7Antonin Dvořák		Dvořák's Slavonic Dances are difficult pieces
56	Parade of ClownsEmmanuel Chabrier		The French composer Emmanuel Chabrier…
57	typhoon→Pia-no-jaC		Piano duet sheet music for Pia-no-jaC's songs
58	Overture to the operetta ‘Orpheus in the Underworld’Jacques Offenbach		The work Opera..., which is extremely familiar to Japanese people
59	lilacMrs. GREEN APPLE		The anime “Oblivion …,” which began airing in April 2024
60	Disney FantalusionVarious Artists		A duet piano arrangement of a popular Disneyland parade song
61	From Kirakira Piano: Famous Piano Duets for Children, Volume 1 — “Catbus”Todoroki Chihiro		When you think of piano duets, you imagine playing with someone of the same age or similar build...
62	Pomp and Circumstance Marches, Op. 39 No. 1Edward Elgar		Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 is the most famous.
63	“Arabesque” from Burgmüller for Two PianistsTabuchi Saeko		One of the most representative works of Johann Burgmüller…
64	chopsticksArthur de Lulli		Arthur de Lully, a composer known only to those in the know…
65	Animal Crossing: New Horizons “Resident Services”Todaka Ikusei		A duet piece from Animal Crossing: New Horizons
66	Happy Lifere fureru		A pi… by the brothers Moriya Saito and Keito Saito.
67	SenbonzakuraKurousa-P fiito. Hatsune Miku		Widely known as a VOCALOID producer…
68	Bling-Bang-Bang-BornCreepy Nuts		A cool and highly addictive piano duet perfo…
69	Military March No. 1Franz Schubert		Schubert’s grand piano duet works
70	HeroYOASOBI		A song by the Japanese music group YOASOBI, co...
71	Mountain MusiciansDoitsu min’yō		Some Japanese nursery rhymes are arranged from German folk songs…
72	Slavonic Dance, Op. 46 No. 5Antonín Dvořák		Symphony No. 9 “From the New World,” affectionately known as “From the New World,” by Dvořák…
73	Piano Sonata in B-flat major, K. 381, for four handsWolfgang Amadeus Mozart		Mozart, who has produced numerous masterpieces...
74	Electrical ParadeVarious Artists		Introducing Disney music piano duets
75	UniverseOfisharu Higedan Dism		Higedan’s Doraemon movie theme song as a piano duet
76	Every girlToukyou Jihen		Cool piano played in authentic jazz arrangement…
77	chantAdo		Ado, a female vocalist famous for her powerful singing...
78	Aladdin: A Whole New WorldAlan Menken		Disney Masterpieces: Magic Carpet Piano Duet
79	fireworks (launched into the sky)DAOKO × Yonezu Kenshi		A slightly mellow arrangement for piano four hands is...
80	Suite “Dolly” Op. 56 No. 1: Berceuse (Lullaby)Gabriel Faure		A composer who has garnered high acclaim for their distinctive musicality, …
81	monsterYOASOBI		At the peak of their popularity, the band YOASOBI’s “Monster”...
82	instinctShiina Ringo		An origin unmistakably rooted in jazz, rendered through a piano duet...
83	A Long, Short FestivalShiina Ringo		As Ringo Sheena’s second release of 2015, the single re-...
84	Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18Sergei Rachmaninov		Not just a glamorous atmosphere, but also a heavy, cool vibe...
85	Racing into the NightYOASOBI		Representing the popular music group YOASOBI...
86	Aladdin “Friend Like Me”Alan Menken		Enjoy Disney songs from the movies with piano duets
87	Slavonic Dances, Series II No. 1, Op. 72 No. 1Antonín Dvořák		Elegantly expressing Czech folk dance through a piano duet
88	HumoresqueAntonín Dvořák		A fusion of Czech and American music, an elegant miniature beloved in Japan
89	Hungarian Dance No. 2Johannes Brahms		A passionate piano duet of Hungarian folk music
90	Little Suite: IV. BalletClaude Debussy		An elegant piano duet in the style of a Rococo-era ball
91	Piano Duet Miniature for Children “The Carnival Has Come,” No. 5: The Carnival Has ComeHirayoshi Takeshu		The composer HIRAYOSHI, whom you also see in Japanese textbooks...