Two for Two was commissioned by the duo Arpeggio of Phoenix, AZ, consisting of Lisa Tharp, flute, and John Friedeman, bassoon.  It was completed in the summer of 2002 and given its first performances at the Kerr Cultural Center in Scottsdale, AZ in March, 2003.  

Like most of my works, these duets were assembled from keyboard improvisations, but these pieces bear more resemblance to the original improvisations than most.  I was after a certain spontaneous, almost whimsical character that I found was easier to obtain through improvisation than through derivation or some other method.  Much of the original character of the improvisations has been maintained in the final product.  

As for the title, my only explanation is that these duets were written in baseball season in the middle of a pennant race, and the title just happened to be the first thing that popped into my head.  

Video Score

Jeffrey Cohan, flute and Martin Kuuskmann, bassoon      June 18, 2010 Seattle, WA