Piano Duets: Romantic Composers

Michael Aston held an Exhibition for music at Cambridge University. After a short career in the Civil Service, he moved to Leeds, in 1979, and began a career as a freelance musician. A pianist specializing in accompaniment and piano duos, he taught piano and became involved in continuing education, presenting courses for the universities of Manchester, Nottingham, and Cambridge. He is a lifelong enthusiast for the music of William Walton, and has lectured widely on the subject and visited the Walton estate in Italy. He has written about Walton for Classical Music magazine and edited a volume of the William Walton Edition, published by Oxford University Press. He is the compiler of four volumes of piano duets published by OUP.

The book brings together both arrangements and original duets and certainly makes for entertaining diversion.

• Hungarian March from La Damnation de Faust, Op. 24 ; 'La toupie', Impromptu from Jeux d'enfants ; Waltzes Nos. 1 and 2, Op. 39 ; Slavonic Dance No. 2, Op. 72 ; Etude No. 5, 'La Chasse', from Grandes etudes de Paganini ; Lied No. 3 (Lenau) from Vier Lieder, Op. 8 ; Intermezzo from Piano Quartet No. 2, Op. 2 ; 'Versteckens', No. 10 from 12 Vierhandige Clavierstucke fur kleine und grosse Kinder, Op. 85 ; Waltz from Suite No. 2, Op. 53