Gazebo Dances by John Corigliano

OK, this is for all you lovers of 4-hand piano music: the Tarantella from John Corigliano's Gazebo Dances. It's the last movement of this suite, and it's a musical thrill ride for performers and audience alike.

My duet partner, Molly Wheeler, and I recorded this suite (along with Piazzolla tangos, and Barber's Souvenirs) several years ago on our album, 2 to Tango: Music for Piano Duet. This Tarantella is one of the pieces we end up closing concerts with--even when we don't program the entire suite.

For those new to John Corigliano, he is an American composer who writes for a myriad of instruments, but is best known for writing the score to the movie The Red Violin. His compositions have won him the Pulitzer Prize, five Grammy Awards, Grawemery Award for Music Composition, and an Oscar.  Not too shabby for a composer who composes smart music with a great tune and a beat.

To order this piece (and to peruse his other works): John Corigliano