Edit: I realized how misleading the title is, and also how noobsauce people are who apologize for failures of titles, but I'm doing it anyway.
So, as some of you might remember, I'm preparing for a solo concert. + Show Spoiler +
(sorry for the horrible entry, but I gotta go soon...and I might not be able to watch the playoffs today either .__.)
Unfortunately, I'm at a loss for some of my repertoire. I'm preparing for the Panel level of the Certificate of Merit (CM) test as well, so I need to have some good pieces prepared.
I've been playing Bartok's Romanian Dances, Op. 8a, No. 1. (you can find it on YouTube, but it's not particularly well-played there), but I've been playing it for about 2 years so I think I need a repertoire change.
Also, I'm not sure what to play for an encore. I need to prepare one and I have 平湖秋月 in mind, but it's a really quiet piece and I'd like to play something that's showy and/or flashy on purpose, but also fun (i.e. I've seen some pretty difficult but cool jazz renditions of popular songs).
I'm playing a several heavy and very well-known songs (the Appassionata, Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise, La Campanella...) so I'm trying to come up with some non-generic songs, if possible.
If you still have any other advice (overall song selection/order or absolutely anything else), then I'd be more than glad to take it!!
I feel like a whiny beggar, please forgive me >n<; Anyhow, Thanks so much guys! <（‐＾▽＾‐）>
Random song off the top of my head - grand gallop chromatique by liszt? There are a bunch of videos on youtube. I'm not sure if this song is considered 'non-generic' though.
I've been toying with classic stride transcriptions recently.
Don't know if you like that kind of music, but if you do, anything by James P. Johnson, Fats Waller (Harder) or Art Tatum (ridiculously hard) is great.
I've been playing "Carolina Shout" in Johnson's 1940s version (Not the one by Waller below), and am starting to work on "Handful of Keys" by Waller.
And If you are really ambitious:
Oh, and I have a pretty good transcription/arrangement I made of the classic Sinatra version of "Theme from New York, New York" I could give you if you are interested, too.
Thanks for the responses! First of all, I'm fully aware how difficult the Panel test is (only a few people in all of Cali, for one, pass, but it's a nationwide test I think), and as such I'm practicing my ass off for it.
Also, I'm looking for contemporary works like those by Prokofiev, Bartok, etc.
I'm not that sure about your suggestions (as in whether they're considered "classical" contemporary or more so just jazz; um, that was confusing, I just mean that I'm not sure if they count as traditionally-accepted modern pieces because they're jazz songs), HCastorp, but I think they might work for encores, thanks!
If you're confident in your technical abilities and want to play something that really highlights it, I'd suggest maybe looking into some Ligeti Etudes. They're fairly well known while not being played often, so that might help you with "non-genericness." It's also even more contemporary than Profokiev and Bartok if you're looking for something to contrast with your standard romantic Beethoven Liszzt etc.
I'm not totally clear on your situation, and also I'm only making these suggestions as someone who listens to a lot of performances, not as any pianist of any quality myself, so take these suggestions with a grain of salt, and good luck =)
Ah, for some reason your original post led me to believe that you were looking for jazzy pieces.
I would second Carnivorous Sheep's recommendation of the Ligeti Etudes. Despite their reputation for difficulty, there are at least a half dozen that are not really all that demanding.
The least difficult ones in my opinion are:
Arc en ciel - I don't like this one much, but it is certainly the easiest En Suspens - a great place to start, as it uses some of the same principles as other, much more difficult Etudes
moving up a level of difficulty:
cordes a vide - One of the most played, and most accessible, for both the listener and the pianist. This is a great piece. fem - Requires at least medium sized hands, but not actually very hard. It makes a great partner to cordes a vide, becasue they are both focused on fifths, but use them in very different ways
Based on your other repertoire, none of the above will be any problem for you technically, although depending on how comfortable you are with odd rhythms and modern music in general they could be difficult to learn because they don't fit into the same kinds of patterns as the stuff you usually play. Many exams don't require that you memorize contemporary music for this reason, not sure about the one you are doing though.
Somewhat harder, but still within reach for most pianists (including you, judging by your rep) are:
Automne a Warsovie - The main emotion I feel from most of the etudes is a kind of obsession, but this one is a bit more reflective. Fanfares - probably the most popular of the etudes, and deservedly so. This one is pretty hard technically, but, but is still much easier to read/understand than many others Touches Bloques - I admit I am less familiar with this one, but it is very unique and relatively comprehensible to look at.
These are about all of them that I am really familiar with.
You might also want to look at this piece, which can be very effective in the hands of a performer who believes in it:
I've never heard of most these songs (though I admit that's probably because my overall repertoire up until now has always been pretty limited), which makes them all the better. I was getting ready to admit defeat and just stick with Prokofiev Sonatas or something like that (against which I am very strongly biased, I must say >n<), but the Ligeti etudes sound great.
I strongly dislike dissonance after it reaches a certain point most of the time, and I'm mainly a Chopin player (as they say, there are two kinds of pianists--those who mainly play Chopin, and those who don't), but these are well within my "range of acceptance", so to speak.
I'll go listen to and choose one of the Ligeti etudes. Thanks again! :3
Looking again at your post, I realized that as this is a recital, not just an exam, (is that right?) it would likely be somewhat awkward to play just one ligeti etude. Playing the pair I suggested, fem and cordes a vide could work though, tryng to learn two of the harder ones would probably be quite a challenge in the time you have.
Toucches Bloques is the only etude of the ones I listed that is particularly dissonant.
I really love that Messian piece, which can more easily stand on its own because it is longer. Making this post reminded me that I have always wanted to play it, so thank you for that!
One more suggestion. This piece is really off the beaten track, but its a lot of fun to play - I remember playing this in a studio class in college and having my glasses fall off in the middle of one of the most exciting parts (around 3:50 in this video) I suppose if you don't like Prokofiev you might not like it though.
Oh and one more thing - don't you have a piano teacher? What do they think about all of this?
Yeah, I have a solo recital in December, and the Panel exam is sometime next spring (I think). I'm still working out what I'll play for both events, but it'll be generally the same.
The song you recommended right above also seems pretty good. I guess it's just the apparent haphazardness that Prokofiev songs sometimes have that turns me off, since it makes them somewhat difficult to learn for me.
I do have a piano teacher who's actually really, really good, but as of late I've just been playing poorly and lacking the self-motivation to go practice (as evidenced by a previous cry-blog). My piano teacher already recommended a few songs but couldn't really help me because I'm still practicing for the rest of my songs.
How is Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet? My teacher recommended this to me at one point and just remembered it. Is it too easy/simple, and would I be better off with the Ligeti etudes, or is it a good choice as well?
I apologize for any apparent noobishness, as I'm still somewhat young and don't have that much experience yet.
How about one of Earl Wild's transcriptions of Gershwin's songs?
One of my favorites
EDIT: As for the Ligeti etudes, I'm hard-pressed to find people who actually enjoy listening to them. So since it's a recital, eh...I wouldn't recommend them. It's a lot of work for not much payoff.
@ Empyrean: Really? D: I thought the Ligeti Etudes were fine, and I think the people at the I'll perform for appreciate music a lot; even more so than I do because they're used to listening to high-class performers quite often.
The reason I'm afraid I'm not up to standard is this: in 2009, I got honorable place in this concerto competition (there was only winner/honorable mention), which meant I got to perform a short piece as a pre-concert event for the Oakland Symphony. I practiced essentially just that piece for the weeks leading up to it, and I thought I played it quite well. I then sat down to listen to the actual concert.
To my surprise, during the intermission, a lady approached me and asked me if I would like to perform at a solo concert at her retirement home. I actually said that I would "think about it", and she was really surprised (for OBVIOUS reasons, man I was so stupid); I thought she wanted me to play really early, and I didn't have much prepared at the time.
We ended up placing the concert at December, which leaves me time to practice really, really well, because I'm absolutely sure I need to play well or I'll be thrown out by (probably) very sophisticated music-lovers.
The people at this retirement home who will listen (and this is a pretty big and rich place, let me tell you...okay, I just saw one picture, but it's a small-skyscraper-looking place that had a business card--from which I saw the picture) probably don't have much to do but listen to musicians, and they book professional performers on a regular basis. My greatest fear right now is that I was overestimated due to the 7 or so minutes I played in the pre-concert, and the super-nice lady who asked me to perform thought I was world-class or something (the lady also mentioned a girl I'd heard of and told me that she'd performed for them too--this girl eventually went to the Julliard School of Music and was EXTREMELY talented).
That's a long-ass reply to just saying that they might not appreciate the Ligeti etudes as much, but point definitely taken, and I'll take everything into consideration before I make a choice.
I am not very familiar with Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, or any of his music, because I don't like it very much. You realize that this is whole suite right? You wouldn't have to play all of them though, many pianists perform only selections from this set.
As for being too easy/simple, that is absolutely not a problem. I mean, if that's how you feel about them don't play them, but there is no way that an exam/audition committee would punish you for playing them on account of their difficulty. That could only be an issue if your other pieces were all on the easy side as well, which they are not.
It is far more important to select a piece that you enjoy.
As for your noobishness, judging by your repertoire, you are more advanced technically than I am. I would have to think long and hard before attempting "La Campanella" in performance, (although that probably reflects as much on my conservative personality as my technical skill) and I graduated from a conservatory two years ago.
My advice would be not to rush into a decision about what to play, give yourself a few weeks and listen to many different pieces and just make sure you can really believe in whatever you eventually decide on.
One of my biggest difficulties in choosing music to perform is to decide whether to go with the safe piece, one I know fits my personality and ability, or to go with something that is more of a stretch, either musically or technically. I have found that I tend to want to stretch myself and try new things musically, but am rather conservative technically. You never know what you really have a knack for unless you try. For along time I avoided Liszt because I felt that with my fairly reserved personality it wouldn't be good fit, but when I finally played some it came very naturally, much easier than some other composers. Beethoven took a long time for me to warm up to.
What made me think of all that was that you say you find prokofiev "haphazard". If you feel this way, it will probably be very difficult for you to understand and perform something by Messian or Ligeti, even if it is technically within your grasp. But I guess what I am saying is that maybe you should try them for that very reason
On July 19 2010 10:32 HCastorp wrote: I am not very familiar with Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, or any of his music, because I don't like it very much. You realize that this is whole suite right? You wouldn't have to play all of them though, many pianists perform only selections from this set.
As for being too easy/simple, that is absolutely not a problem. I mean, if that's how you feel about them don't play them, but there is no way that an exam/audition committee would punish you for playing them on account of their difficulty. That could only be an issue if your other pieces were all on the easy side as well, which they are not.
It is far more important to select a piece that you enjoy.
As for your noobishness, judging by your repertoire, you are more advanced technically than I am. I would have to think long and hard before attempting "La Campanella" in performance, (although that probably reflects as much on my conservative personality as my technical skill) and I graduated from a conservatory two years ago.
My advice would be not to rush into a decision about what to play, give yourself a few weeks and listen to many different pieces and just make sure you can really believe in whatever you eventually decide on.
One of my biggest difficulties in choosing music to perform is to decide whether to go with the safe piece, one I know fits my personality and ability, or to go with something that is more of a stretch, either musically or technically. I have found that I tend to want to stretch myself and try new things musically, but am rather conservative technically. You never know what you really have a knack for unless you try. For along time I avoided Liszt because I felt that with my fairly reserved personality it wouldn't be good fit, but when I finally played some it came very naturally, much easier than some other composers. Beethoven took a long time for me to warm up to.
What made me think of all that was that you say you find prokofiev "haphazard". If you feel this way, it will probably be very difficult for you to understand and perform something by Messian or Ligeti, even if it is technically within your grasp. But I guess what I am saying is that maybe you should try them for that very reason
Um, I can guarantee that you are more technically advanced than I am if you've graduated from a conservatory. If it's not too prying, do you perform as your career now?
It's true that I really, really relate to the music of the romantic/classical era and I don't understand certain contemporary music as much, but I'm in the process of learning and finding appreciation for all kinds of music.
Thus, it's probably not a long stretch to say that I might be getting over-ambitious/eager to play such difficult songs, and I usually end up not perfecting my technique because the songs are theoretically way beyond my level. Obviously (if I may *herm* say so myself), I'm a lot better than your typical teenager, so that's why I'm attempting songs that I know I most likely won't perfect to the degree I want. There are many, many genius-level and extremely talented people my age who are better than me, but I'm going to practice as much as I can and devote myself to the piano. :D
Thanks for the advice, and would you mind giving me some advice and comments if I could post some links to my playing (mp3 or something)? I can only meet with my piano teacher once a week, so sometimes I feel like some more evaluation would be nice. Also having someone[s] (<==harhar) to talk to about music and the piano would help a lot and be pretty cool to boot. ^x^
On July 19 2010 10:57 Empyrean wrote: People at a retirement home aren't going to enjoy Ligeti.
Honestly, just go for audience favorites.
Well, if you put it that way...I can see exactly what you mean ><" Do you have any recommendations outside of some of Earl Wild's transcriptions of Gershwin (which also was good)? And what's your experience with piano (not a WHERE U GIT DA BALLZ TO QUESTION ME question, I'm just wondering hehe)?
Any particular audience favorites in mind (again, I'm looking for contemporary and encore songs, so yeah )? Merci mille fois to you everyone here!
You could play your Bartok for the recital and save the Ligeti for the exam. You should never be ashamed to play old pieces for a recital, the people listening don't care, they just want to hear good music.
For the record, I think the Ligeti or Messiaen would be fine, but something like that Gershwin transcription will go over great guaranteed.
From your previous posts, I feel you are excessively nervous about the level of scrutiny you will be under at this recital. I'm not saying that the old folks don't know their music - I'm sure they do, (which is partly why I am more optimistic than Empyrean about how more contemporary music will go over with them) but I think you should also realize that they are probably very very happy to be supporting a young musician such as yourself. You think they are giving you a gift by letting you play, and they are, but you are giving them a much bigger gift just by being there.
Speaking of retirement homes, I am currently subbing for friend, playing for church services at a retirement home run by the Salvation Army. For the past few weeks I have been playing Bach before the service and during the offertory. Today I took a deep breath and tried out my own simple arrangement of "Can't help falling in love"
There were tears in their eyes - Nothing gets to old people like songs from their younger days.
Although, I once witnessed a seventy year old man dancing in the aisle to Varese, so you never know what they listened to in those younger days.
Oh, okay. I'll try more to prepare and enjoy my music rather than worry pointlessly about song selection and the like. And wow, you must be a really kind person to share your music so altruistically with people. I don't know how to respond other than to say that I'll definitely keep your words in mind and just try to relax. I really admire you, and thanks again.
EPT
![[image loading]](http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z309/Alx427/BUMP.jpg)
If it's not too prying, do you perform as your career now?
)? Merci mille fois to you everyone here!
