Scherzo, for 2 pianos, op. 87
Romantic Scherzo Two pianos
In brief

This Scherzo for two pianos is crisp and dramatic in character: sharp accents, forceful bursts and sudden shifts that aim to startle rather than soothe the listener. You will face, in particular, octave passages (Octaves 4.1/5) that require ensemble coordination and controlled arm weight to maintain power and accuracy without tension, and fast figurations (Passages rapides 4.1/5) that demand clear finger articulation and smooth redistribution of small figures between the hands to keep the thematic line intact. From the Romantic period, it belongs to Saint‑Saëns’s concert pieces where pianistic virtuosity and the interplay between two instruments are highlighted. I do not give a specific reference recording here because I am not 100% certain of a single widely recognized interpretation for this work.

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Sheet music

Public-domain sheet music on IMSLP ↗

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Formation

Two pianos · 2 performers

Required forces
Piano 2 performers
Playable parts
Piano I Piano II
MusicCoach difficulty
82/100
Master repertoire
Likely range : 70–94/100
Confidence : 38% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 8

Estimated from our difficulty score, not taken from an exam syllabus. Checked against 333 works on the ABRSM syllabus: the exact grade is right 7 times out of 10, and within one grade 99 times out of 100.

Difficulty estimate by MusicCoach on a scale of 1 to 100.

Where this work sits
050100

Most works cluster between 45 and 65: a small score gap often marks a real step. The highlighted bar shows this work among those for the same instrument.

The MusicCoach difficulty measures a work's overall demands (technique, reading, stamina) on a shared 0-100 scale, consolidated from editorial and pedagogical reference points (Henle, exam syllabuses, curation) and our own analyses. It measures neither musical value nor the practice time YOU will need: two musicians of the same level can experience the same work very differently depending on their strengths (hands used to octaves, quick sight-reading…). The confidence reflects how many reference points sit behind the score and how well they agree — a lightly documented score is flagged “to validate”. For a truly personal bearing, the diagnostic and your space compare each work to YOUR estimated level, which the score alone cannot do.

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Relative difficulty
62%
Among Camille Saint-Saëns
88%
Era Romantic
82%
Genre
Estimated skills
Technique
Octaves
1
Technique
Staccato
1
Technique
Fast passages
2
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
2
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
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