recital program idea

[lmpianist]

What do you think of this for a recital program?  This would be for a very informal performance, short and with no intermission, with most of the audience not too familiar with classical piano music.

Mozart: Fantasy in C Minor, K475
Chopin: Waltz in E-Flat, Op. 18
Chopin: Waltz in C# Minor, Op. 69 no. 2
Chopin: Waltz in D-Flat, Op. 69 no. 1
Liszt: Sonetto 104 del Petrarca
Grieg: Wedding Day at Troldhaugen

[cygnusdei]

K. 475 is already 12 minutes or more, and it's not really casual audience-friendly. The others seem fine though.

[thierry13]

I think opening with the Mozart is a pretty bad idea : you'll loose everybody right away. Instead of playing 3 chopin back to back, why not playing chopin mozart then another chopin ?? try something like that, your program will be better and seem more light.

[faulty_damper]

For an uneducated audience, you want to get their attention first.  It must be simple, familiar, and easy for comprehension.  It should be in a simple form and also in a major key.  Preferably a piece that is singable.  This is your appetizer.

Now you need to figure out which would best follow it.  Usually, soup follows the appetizer.  That would probably be the Sonnet 104.

Then comes the main dish.  This should be meaty and have substance and be at a complex level compared to the previous dishes.  Mozart's Fantasy in C minor could be paired with a nice Merlot.

Then comes the desert pieces.  Chopin's waltzes.  But end it with a bang, Op.18.

[iumonito]

I so much disagree with the other comments you got.  I think that program works great.  Do not underestimate an audience unfamiliar with classical music.  I cherish the thrill I get each time I hear a masterpiece for the first time.  K.475 may well make a music lover out of a person that did not know such bueaty was possible or existed.

BTW, I think you mean Op. 64, as the 69s are B Minor and A-flat Major, n'est pas?  I think Grieg is the best to close among the pieces you listed, by far.

[lmpianist]

I originally thought that the Mozart might be too long to hold the audience's attention, but maybe it would be a bit heavy too... I'll have to give that some thought.  I guess it's hard when you love a piece to imagine the idea that your audience might not appreciate it as much 

[kitty on the keys]

I like your choice of pieces ! I agree with faulty_damper on how to 'serve the meal". I have performed the Fantasy many times and prefer Mozart in the middle of a program. I would also close with the Chopin Waltzes. Best of luck!

Kitty

[gyzzzmo]

Depends on your audience. If you have mainly musically uneducated people i would change the order of your recital. A more famous piece to begin with.
If not, your order will do fine.

gyzzzmo

[dorfmouse]

Whatever order you decide to play, can you give a short introduction to your pieces to help your inexperienced audience tune in? A snippet of history, or what it is about the piece that fascinates you. I really like small local recitals when the performer talks a little.

[thierry13]

Whatever order you decide to play, can you give a short introduction to your pieces to help your inexperienced audience tune in? A snippet of history, or what it is about the piece that fascinates you. I really like small local recitals when the performer talks a little.

Talk about small local recital, I once heard Anton Kuerti talk about the Diabelli variations before playing them (just after playing op. 81a).

[point of grace]

i think u could start with mozart's fantasy in d minor, previous to the one you play, and i like the chronological order u chose.
very nice, but i agree u could start with a shorter and nice piece.

[slobone]

For an uneducated audience, you want to get their attention first.  It must be simple, familiar, and easy for comprehension.  It should be in a simple form and also in a major key.  Preferably a piece that is singable.  This is your appetizer.

Now you need to figure out which would best follow it.  Usually, soup follows the appetizer.  That would probably be the Sonnet 104.

Then comes the main dish.  This should be meaty and have substance and be at a complex level compared to the previous dishes.  Mozart's Fantasy in C minor could be paired with a nice Merlot.

Then comes the desert pieces.  Chopin's waltzes.  But end it with a bang, Op.18.

I like that order, and start off with the wedding of the trolls.

... but are you saying that Liszt's music is soupy? I thought I was the only one here who felt that way.