The final piece to learn

[verywellmister]

Hey teachers-

if you had a good student, would you have any idea for pieces or difficulty of a pieces for that student to play at their senior recital.

For example, would you expect the student to be playing a piece of the level Liszt's B minor sonata or La Campanella?

[mike_lang]

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[oksanapianist]

After reading your post- I got to thinking...............I just recently attended a recital where a young highschool boy played the Chopin g minor Ballade and after hearing it- the first words that came to my mind were "That was good......................for a high schooler." .........meaning, I had to validate it was ok because the kid was young, but in all honesty- it was too sophisticated for him- musically and technically. I was most wowed by the kids who played pieces that were approriate for their advanced level- easier pieces- yet still very advanced for their age. As I get older-my reverence for the great works grows and I find it more and more difficult to forgive a performer because of their age- and far too often, teachers are giving their students pieces that are too mature for any amateur. Whatever pieces you decide to give your student- make sure that he sounds GREAT-..............and not "Great for a Senior". Far too often, performers do the composers an injustice by attempting a work that is more than beyond their reach. It's not fair to the composer, it's not fair to the student who is missing out on the steps he should be taking to get there, and it's not fair to the educated audience who wants to hear a trully great performance. Think about all of this and let me know if you agree. If your kid has phenominal technique- let him show off on stage with Etudes- if he has phenominal musicality- let him show off with a Chopin Nocturne- if he has both- then I would probably work on Liszt's easier works- like maybe one of the Hungarian Rhapsodies- even the Dante Sonata (very hard) but easier than the great b minor sonata- that piece is even too hard for some Doctoral students!

Just an opinion- take it all with a grain of salt if you do not conquer! also- I am curious what you do decide to have him play- please let us know!

[pianowelsh]

could go anyway depends on their strengths ie contemporary/romantic Mozart, Bach etc

[mcgillcomposer]

After reading your post- I got to thinking...............I just recently attended a recital where a young highschool boy played the Chopin g minor Ballade and after hearing it- the first words that came to my mind were "That was good......................for a high schooler." .........meaning, I had to validate it was ok because the kid was young, but in all honesty- it was too sophisticated for him- musically and technically. I was most wowed by the kids who played pieces that were approriate for their advanced level- easier pieces- yet still very advanced for their age. As I get older-my reverence for the great works grows and I find it more and more difficult to forgive a performer because of their age- and far too often, teachers are giving their students pieces that are too mature for any amateur. Whatever pieces you decide to give your student- make sure that he sounds GREAT-..............and not "Great for a Senior". Far too often, performers do the composers an injustice by attempting a work that is more than beyond their reach. It's not fair to the composer, it's not fair to the student who is missing out on the steps he should be taking to get there, and it's not fair to the educated audience who wants to hear a trully great performance. Think about all of this and let me know if you agree. If your kid has phenominal technique- let him show off on stage with Etudes- if he has phenominal musicality- let him show off with a Chopin Nocturne- if he has both- then I would probably work on Liszt's easier works- like maybe one of the Hungarian Rhapsodies- even the Dante Sonata (very hard) but easier than the great b minor sonata- that piece is even too hard for some Doctoral students!

Just an opinion- take it all with a grain of salt if you do not conquer! also- I am curious what you do decide to have him play- please let us know!

As a composer, I appreciate your comments very much. I had a very difficult piano composition premiered in Montreal a few weeks ago, and it was a disaster.  The pianist was a local "prodigy", and well...let's say that she played all of the notes and none of the music.  What struck me, is that many of the things she missed, so obviously demanded to be brought out.  For instance, in one section, the melody is in the top line, with a sweepin "scale" (not quite as simple as this) leading up to each note.  The passage is marked pp, with a tenuto marking on each note of the melody, and it is in the very high register of the piano.  The pianist's playing sounded laboured, and virtuosic...even though this section clearly demands the illusion of simplicity. I even marked semplice in the score to avoid any confusion. To make things worse, she accented every note of the melody (last time I checked, a tenuto was not a harsh accent),  and played the passage (at best) mezzo-forte.

Anyway, it just goes to show that playing virtuoso pieces is not difficult in itself.  The real challenge lies in playing them with astute musicality. I can verify this by my own example.  When I was younger (17-18), I could play several piano concertos, including some rather difficult ones (Tchaikosky Bb for example).  Around the age of 20, I had a sort of musical epiphany, and no longer performed most of the concertos I had performed several times in my youth. I spent an entire year, reworking and refining the details of my playing in each concerto, and I am a much better musician for it.  I think this should be mentioned to all serious piano students who aspire to perform as a career...make it known that there are thousands of people who can play things like the Rach 3, but only very few who can do it well.  This should give them some wisdom, as well as an incredible drive to heighten their standards of what constitutes a good performance. They will be all the better as a result.

Just my two cents...and again, thank you for the insightful posting.

- Andrew