Ask Greg & Liz: Repertoire
Hallo Greg & Liz,
auf euch durch die Libertangoaufnahme (habt ihr schon die Argerich-Videos gesehen) und die Tarrega-Variationen über ein Thema aus Gran Vals (M.A. Hamlin hat sich auch schon daran versucht) aufmerksam geworden möchte ich, nachdem ich euer Repertoire gelesen habe wissen, warum ihr die f-moll Fantasie von Franz Schubert (D 940) (noch) nicht spielt? Sie steht den anderen Kompositionen, die ihr bereits beherrscht in keiner weise nach. Außerdem habe ich noch kein Stück von Franz Liszt in eurem Repertiore gefunden - obwohl sich seine Kompositionen, wie sich bereits erwiesen hat (Victor Borge ist ein beispielhafter Interpret) dafür hervorragend eignen. Liebe Grüße und Viel Erfolg
- Max
Dear Max,
Hallo! Wir haben ein bisschen Deutch gelernt, but we communicate much better in English! Why haven't we learned the Schubert Fantasy in F minor? We're still young and we have plenty of years ahead of us. We're in no hurry. Besides, Schubert composed many wonderful works in addition to the Fantasy that are worthy of listeners' and performers' attention. We do hope to get around to some of Liszt's duo music someday, but probably not all of it; after reading through his duo works, we have the distinct impression that Liszt enjoyed composing music for solo piano more.
- Greg & Liz
Dear Greg & Liz,
My friends and I are planning on holding a virtuoso senior piano recital featuring solos, duos, and a grand finale 2-piano, 8-hand arrangement. Do you know of any particularly exciting, crowd-pleasing duo and quartet pieces that you would recommend for the advanced player?
- Allen
Dear Allen,
It sounds like you are preparing quite the exciting event! It's kind of difficult to think of "crowd-pleasing" pieces without knowing your intended audience. In such situations, we find it easier to choose pieces that "please" us and hope that the music, our delivery, and our enthusiam will please the audience as well.
One of the most famous and exciting 2-piano, 8-hand works of our time is Mack Wilberg's Fantasy on Themes from Bizet's Carmen. We suggest you start there. There are too many exciting piano duo works to list here, but you could start by looking at any of the early-twentieth century warhorses: Lutoslawski's Paganini Variations, Ravel's La Valse, Rachmaninoff's Second Suite for Two Pianos, Debussy/Ravel's Fêtes, and Milhaud's Scaramouche.
Just be careful! All of that virtuosity on one program could work against itself! Good luck and have fun,
- Greg & Liz
Dear Greg & Liz,
Have you ever tried a piece like this together? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcV19rylSZc
Dear anonymous,
It's unlikely that you'll find that in our repertoire any time soon, although it is admittedly very funny! Our performing style and our mission as performers are a bit different from those of Victor Borge. While we enjoy humor and wild pianistic effects, we tend not to introduce either into our music unless it can be used to serve our mission (to demonstrate that classical piano music can serve as a relevant and powerful force in society). For example, when we use humor in our concerts, it is often to comment on contemporary events, as seen in our New Depiction of the Carnival of the Animals or in our latest YouTube video. Likewise, when we find ourselves tangled up at the piano, it is usually due to two reasons: one, to visually represent the dance-like or romantic character of the music, and two, because there is no other way to create the musical effect.
We like to find ways to make our concerts entertaining, uplifiting, humorous, provocative, contemporary, and deeply moving. In other words, we like to find ways to represent the full spectrum of the human experience.
- Greg & Liz
Dear Greg & Liz,
Have you ever tried Chopin's etudes Op. 10, No. 8 and Op. 10, No. 5? Who are your favorite composers? Have you ever tried Satie's "Le Belle Excentrique" from the Grand Ritournelle?
Malechi
Dear Malechi,
We both play quite a few Chopin etudes, including the two you mentioned. Tricky little finger busters, aren't they?
Favorite composers? Hmmm.... It's really so difficult to limit oneself to just a few "favorite" composers when there are so many whose music never ceases to move us. Not to mention, we both try to listen for the beauty and expression in whatever it is we're listening to, whether it be Palestrina, Donizetti, or Coldplay. Greg's favorites change from mood to mood; presently Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Sigur Ros top the list. Liz's list includes Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, the Beatles, Ravel, Radiohead, and loads more.
As for Satie's "Le Belle Excentrique," we have yet to add it to our repertoire. We do, however, perform a surprising amount of Satie's music on our concerts, usually in our own "Anderson & Roe" way.
- Greg & Liz
Dear Greg & Liz,
What are some classical 4hand1piano pieces you would recommend to intermediate level pianists?
Dear fellow pianist,
There's a lot of wonderful music out there for intermediate (and for that matter, advanced) pianists. Start by reading through the transcriptions of the Beethoven Symphonies for four hands. They are familiar, not too difficult, and a joy to play. Debussy's Petite Suite is one of our all-time favorites; its melodies are unbearably beautiful. Also, look into the Brahms Waltzes, Children's Games by Bizet, the Poulenc Sonata (for four-hands/one-piano), From the Bohemian Forest by Dvorak, and the perennial favorite: Brahms' Hungarian Dances. Also consider the following transcriptions: Ravel's Pavane pour une infante defunte, Saint-Saens's Dance Macabre (not to be confused with the Anderson & Roe two-piano transcription), Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, the Verdi opera arrangements, and the Bach Brandenburg concertos.
A note about Schubert: we find Schubert's four-hand music to be surprisingly difficult. Much of it sounds readable and simple, but don't let this fool you; it is very awkwardly written for two pianists to play at one piano. In fact, we've seen a number of piano duos resort to using two pianos to perform his music! It's beautiful stuff, so don't let this dissuade you. Just consider yourself warned!
Good luck and remember to have fun!
Greg & Liz