Performance Order

[goldentone]

As best I remember, in every performance I've heard, the pianist's program was in chronological order of the respective composers' time.

As I am in the primordial stages of forming a program, I would like to know,
is this an unspoken rule we must follow?  Is it okay to deviate from this?

Thanks 

[lostinidlewonder]

So long the order of the pieces in your program have a logic to it and you can highlight that, you are on the right track. I've played Bach and then many other composers who tried to emulate or transpose Bach. I've played pieces which represent different emotional/visual themes and grouped them together.

I try not to put too many fancy pieces next to one another because I feel that the audience becomes less appreciative of the difficult technique. So how you built towards the many mini climax of your concert program then your final impression is also an important consideration to the order/selection of your program.

The order of the pieces you play is also highly dependent on your speech to your audience. If you jump everywhere with no logical progression in what you have to say about the pieces you are playing through, your program might seem disjointed.

[thierry13]

Playing in chronological order is a good way to make a coherent program, but by no mean a law. As long as the pieces fit well together, I 'd go for any order even if it breaks the chronological continuity. I saw a program where the guy played Haydn, Britten then Schubert. Or worse, in studio concerts the order is all messed but it still works most of the time.

[slobone]

There's a tendency to start off with lighter and shorter pieces, that's why so many programs start with something from the 18th century. If you have a serious sonata, you can either put it at the end of the first half, or next-to-last in the second half. It's usually a good idea to end up with something virtuosic and frothy, like a Liszt transcription.

Modern pieces, surprisingly, often seem to end up in the first half right after the Mozart, at least in orchestra programs.

I'm not a big fan of "all" programs (all-Beethoven, etc.), but I guess I'm in the minority because they seem to be quite popular. I once sat through an all-Liszt recital that was the longest week I ever spent in 2 hours. And I had to sit through the whole thing because the person I was with was just enthralled...