Outlooks
A Sonatina for piano four hands (piano duet), with three movements: Sunny, Cloudy, Breezy.
Winner of the 2003 MTAC Composers Today contest, by New Mexico composer Kathleen Ryan. Three lively movements written for intermediate to late intermediate piano players.
Sunny: a wacky waltz, with parallel chromatic scales and shifting rhythms. In this sonata form movement, Primo player has the theme A melody, and Secondo has the theme B melody. At the coda the players have to coordinate a chromatic scale; this may be the trickiest part for the ensemble.
Cloudy: atmospheric; challenging to play well and tricky to coordinate between players. Six flats, so reading is challenged at first; however, playing on so many black keys is usually quite comfortable. Cloudy requires finesse! And it rewards players who listen to each other carefully for balance.
Breezy: a happy, high-stepping cakewalk with swing rhythms and a melody that passes between the players. This is the easiest movement of the three, and the partners switch lead and accompaniment on the repeat of the A section, so each player has a chance to shine.