repertoire for 2 pianos 8 hands

[bach_ko]

does anyone has good suggestion for 2p8h repertoire? no smetana, bizet's carmen, and liszt's hungarian rhapsodies. i want something different and not so famous. thanks...

[thalbergmad]

I don't think you will have a massive amount of choice here.

I was thinking of Mendelssohn's first symphony as well as the Scottish and Italian Symphonies. Mozart 41st symphony has also been transcribed in this fashion.

For 2 pianos 4 hands, you would have squillions to choose from.

Thal

[pinoypianist]

Yeah, I think Thal is right. although I tried a transcription of Rach's Prelude in g for 8 hands with my classmates but it was a crazy transription. we coudn't play together .

[ramibarniv]

does anyone has good suggestion for 2p8h repertoire? no smetana, bizet's carmen, and liszt's hungarian rhapsodies. i want something different and not so famous. thanks...

Practically every symphonic work was arranged for 2 pianos 8 hands.
The library of congress in DC has them all.
Best,
Rami
https://www.youtube.com/user/barniv
https://ramisrhapsody.tripod.com/

[nanabush]

I'm playing in a recital this year with 5 other students; one of the things my teacher got us to do was a 2 piano 8 hands piece (I had been asking earlier this year about this haha), and I forget the composer [sry man], but the piece is called "Perpetual Commotion"... the tempo is decently fast, but we're playing it around a vivace, it sounds sorta like a celtic folk song type thing... It's pretty easy, there's a few parts that you kinda have to look at for a minute, but I'd say the majority of it is sight readable.  I can't find a recording of it, and good luck finding a sample of the sheet music... but I am gonna be playing it, so hopefully someone will get a vid of it so I can put up on youtube or something

I think sheetmusicplus has it...

[counterpoint]

Practically every symphonic work was arranged for 2 pianos 8 hands.

You're joking? 

[mikey6]

I've seen every symphony transcribed for 4 hands but not 8.

[ramibarniv]

You're joking? 

I am not joking. Played myself (with 3 other pianists) all those arrangements.
Best,
Rami
https://www.youtube.com/user/barniv
https://ramisrhapsody.tripod.com/

[thalbergmad]

I am not joking. Played myself (with 3 other pianists) all those arrangements.
Best,
Rami
https://www.youtube.com/user/barniv
https://ramisrhapsody.tripod.com/

Interesting.

Have you got a list of all those arrangements of practically every symphonic work.

As a score collector, i am always looking for ones i have never seen.

Thanks

Thal

[ramibarniv]

Interesting.
Have you got a list of all those arrangements of practically every symphonic work.
As a score collector, i am always looking for ones i have never seen.
Thanks
Thal

I don't have a list, but the library of congress would.
I remember playing symphonies by Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Haydn, and other symphonic works by Ravel, Debussy, Wagner, Strauss and others.
Best,
Rami
https://www.youtube.com/user/barniv
https://ramisrhapsody.tripod.com/

[thalbergmad]

Thanks, but as you have played them all, might you have details of any of the transcribers.

Admittedly, i am looking at the British Library collection who only have a few million scores. I have started with Brahms and cannot find any 8 hand transcriotions.

Any assistance you could give me would be very much appreciated.

Regards

Thal

[ramibarniv]

Thanks, but as you have played them all, might you have details of any of the transcribers.

Admittedly, i am looking at the British Library collection who only have a few million scores. I have started with Brahms and cannot find any 8 hand transcriotions.

Any assistance you could give me would be very much appreciated.

Regards

Thal

I am sorry, I'd love to help out, but I never paid attention to the transcribers. It was a group in NYC that always provided the music and I would just sit down and play whatever they'd put in front of me.
I'll try to contact them and see if they can give me some more information.
The only music for 2p8h I actually have is 2 things:
1) The stars and Stripes Forever, arr. by Mack Wilberg.
2) A Scott Joplin Rag Rhapsody by Kevin Olson.
Best,
Rami

[frederic chopin]

I recall playing an arrangement for 2 pianos (8 hands) of Schumann's Symphony no 4 for a concert.

[thalbergmad]

I am sorry, I'd love to help out, but I never paid attention to the transcribers. It was a group in NYC that always provided the music and I would just sit down and play whatever they'd put in front of me.
I'll try to contact them and see if they can give me some more information.
The only music for 2p8h I actually have is 2 things:
1) The stars and Stripes Forever, arr. by Mack Wilberg.
2) A Scott Joplin Rag Rhapsody by Kevin Olson.
Best,
Rami

That would be excellent.

Ta

Thal

[ramibarniv]

That would be excellent.

Ta

Thal

It may take some time though.
Rami

[e99angel]

2) A Scott Joplin Rag Rhapsody by Kevin Olson.

Actually, I'm currently playing this piece with three other pianists. We learned it awhile back and are picking it up again for an annual studio recital. It's a very fun piece; I like the arrangement very much. (It includes parts from "The Entertainer," and probably from other Joplin pieces as well.)

Two other pieces we've played, both arrangements:

1) Danse Macabre by Saint-Saens
I really enjoyed playing this piece. The individual parts are very simple (sometimes just repeating the same note or octave or chord), but the piece itself is beautiful. It isn't difficult, but it was enjoyable as an ensemble piece.

2) Polacca Brillante by Carl Maria von Weber
Though I like the other two quartets better, this piece is a little more challenging for technique.

[bach_ko]

ok thanks! do u all hv the score?

[ramibarniv]

I managed to get in touch with my piano friends in NYC.
Here is what I got out of Bill.
There's a guy named Ted Dalbotten who plays the piano and does many of his own arrangements too.
His collection of 8-hand scores is staggering. He says he's going to bequeath it all to the Bagaduce Library in Maine when he croaks (he's already 83).
Bill also wrote:
"Actually, now that I think of it, three of the titles in his collection
were arranged by me (Haydn symphonies Nos. 44, 46 & 49)."

A lot of the stuff Ted has was photocopied from library copies. He also
bought a lot of stuff over the years from library sales and antiquarian
booksellers.
Bill's advice:
"If I were looking for this sort of thing, I'd run an international
library search and request copies."

If I get more info I'll post, otherwise this is it.
Best,
Rami
https://www.youtube.com/user/barniv
https://ramisrhapsody.tripod.com/

[tuochoks]

There's also a transcription of the Sabre Dance by Khachaturian, which is easy and very very much fun to play! Ofcourse its famous, but maybe as an encore after your 2pianos 8 hands recital