'' Columbia 233 Rawicz and Landauer met by chance at a resort in 1930 or 1931, when Landauer heard Rawicz whistling a tune he liked, and asked him what it was and how to play it on the piano. It proved to be a polka by
Bedřich Smetana. They soon discovered a mutual interest, and their duo was born. By 1932 Rawicz and Landauer had broadcast on Austrian radio, and in 1933 they had a concert tour throughout Europe. They escaped Nazi Europe in 1935 and moved to the
United Kingdom with their wives, becoming favourites of the Prince of Wales (later
King Edward VIII). They were legendary for the precision of their ensemble playing. They transformed many popular classics into duets, sold tens of thousands of records and made regular
BBC radio broadcasts. and their own arrangements of the Waltz from
Tchaikovsky's
Eugene Onegin,
Khachaturian's
Sabre Dance and Waltz from
Masquerade,
Debussy's
Clair de lune,
Arabesque No. 1 and ''
Golliwog's Cakewalk'', and Strauss waltzes and polkas. After Marjan Rawicz's death in 1970, Walter Landauer continued playing as a solo pianist, until his own death in 1983. Landauer was also a composer, whose works include
Vienna Concerto for piano and orchestra and short pieces such as
Gamine,
Summer Rain and
Echo Waltz for piano solo. Together, they wrote a number of derivative works for two pianos: •
Austro-Hungary (after
Liszt) •
Liszt in Rhythm (after Liszt) •
Chopinezza (after
Chopin) •
Carmen Variations (after
Bizet) •
Fledermaus Fantasy (after
Johann Strauss II) •
Favourite Waltzes (after Baynes,
Franz Lehár, Udall and
Noël Coward). They were the subjects of
This Is Your Life in 1961 when they were surprised by
Eamonn Andrews at the BBC Television Theatre. ==See also==