My favorite version of La valse is the orchestral one; I prefer it over the versions for both one and two pianos. Even the two piano version cannot render the richness of voices that the orchestral one produces. But this is not always the case. Depending on the qualities of the piece, orchestras and solo pianists have various advantages and disadvantages in expressiveness, flexibility, and sheer power. Here I make the case of my preference for the piano when it comes to Barber’s Pas de deux, the third of the six-part Souvenirs ballet suite.