Senior Recital

[pianobee]

Hello!  I'm a Music Education student in college, and I'm about to enter my sophomore year.  At the end of our Senior Year, I have to give what is called my "Senior Recital"  When do people start planning these?
I am thinking about what pieces I am learning, and how do you think they would fit in a recital setting.  Would they be exciting for the audience? 
here they are
Chopin Nocturne in Db Major Op. 27: almost memorized
Debussy: Clair de Lune: almost memorized
Chopin Raindrop Prelude Op. 28 No. 15: memorized
Debussy: La Fille Aux Chevaux de Lin: Memorized
Bach: WTC Prelude and Fugue No. 9: memorized
ok..this would be a very short recital, but I am also learning
Mozart: Sonata K 331 first movement with the themese and variations(Do people like to hear this in a recital?) what are your opinions on this piece?
Bach Prelude and Fugue: Number 10  (are these often played in recitals?)
Ravel: Pavane for a Dead Princess (what level is this piece, anyway?)
Another question is: an anybody reccomend any pieces by Debussy around the same level as La Fille Aux Chevaux de Lin and Clair de Lune?

thank you so much for any advice or suggestions
:-)

[pianistimo]

music education and u have to give a recital.  i didn't realize that.  i thought that was only for performance majors.  how long does ur recital have to be?  i wouldn't make it any distance over the required time - but i would choose as polished of pieces as u can at the time.  no one can really know what they will have polished a couple of years from now - but u'll have a better idea about 3-4 months before u play.  and, ur tastes may change from now to then.  don't get urself tied up in knots...but just practice as much as u can this year (which is probably hard for music ed students) and a lot over the summer.  if u find summertime is ur best time to practice- talk to ur teacher about the timing of this recital. perhaps u can take lessons over the summer before ur junior and senior year and perform the recital at the beginning of the year instead of the end?  that way, u can also fulfill the other requirements (term papers, whatever teaching u have to do) and focus on them for the remainder of the year.  i find that it's very hard to focus on three things at once.

sounds that u like impressionistic music.  i'd talk to ur teacher about the final recital program well into ur junior year and just play for fun right now. 

[kelly_kelly]

It seems kind of... one-sided. Most of your stuff is atmospheric (except the Bach and the Mozart). You need something loud, furious, and exciting.

[nanabush]

Try the Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum and The Snow is Falling from Debussy's Childrens corner... The Doctor Gradus is a very fast, exciting piece with a very short, but nice, slow section, and is about the same level as Claire de Lune, maybe a bit higher.  Also try his Bruyères prelude.

Try an etude.... Chopin op 10 #9, or op 25 #1, or #3...

Also check out the Rachmaninoff preludes (op 32, op 33, and the famous op 3 #2)

[Tash]

yeah i'd put in some crazed 20th century piece for balance and to knock the socks off the audience- there's quite a number of threads recommending various pieces if you look around.

and yeah pianistimo us music ed students give a recital in 3rd year (well we still have our major instrument, it's part of our performance mark), it's a minimum of 30 minutes i think, which is the same for the straight music students. woo looking forward to that!

[lung7793]

This sounds like me a couple years ago...What college are are at?  I was a music ed major and did a junior recital, 50 minutes.  I think you're in good shape if you're planning on playing those for the recital.  The Mozart sonata is always charming and pleasing to an audience.  You may consider doing the other two movements as well, they're not difficult and would be more impressive than just one minute.  I believe the Bach P & Fs are pretty standard for college recitals.  I would continue learning the pieces very gradually, and avoid overplaying because you don't want them to be stale by the time your senior year comes around!  Maybe even delve into some other stuff for an encore or 2? Best of luck, keep me posted! 

[elias89]

Mozart K 331 is a great work and a very good choice for a recital.

[lung7793]

sorry   i said "just one minute" in the above post, meant to say "movement"!

[barnowl]

music education and u have to give a recital.  i didn't realize that.  i thought that was only for performance majors.  how long does ur recital have to be?  i wouldn't make it any distance over the required time - but i would choose as polished of pieces as u can at the time.  no one can really know what they will have polished a couple of years from now - but u'll have a better idea about 3-4 months before u play.  and, ur tastes may change from now to then.  don't get urself tied up in knots...but just practice as much as u can this year (which is probably hard for music ed students) and a lot over the summer.  if u find summertime is ur best time to practice- talk to ur teacher about the timing of this recital. perhaps u can take lessons over the summer before ur junior and senior year and perform the recital at the beginning of the year instead of the end?  that way, u can also fulfill the other requirements (term papers, whatever teaching u have to do) and focus on them for the remainder of the year.  i find that it's very hard to focus on three things at once.

sounds that u like impressionistic music.  i'd talk to ur teacher about the final recital program well into ur junior year and just play for fun right now. 

I really like you Pianistimo, and I value the information you put in your posts.

But is it too difficult to spell you, your, you're, and so on, and impossible to capitalize when the  situation calls for it?

[chopinfan_22]

Mozart K 331 is a great work and a very good choice for a recital.

I agree. It would be even greater if you get the whole sonata down beforehand. For your recital however, I would try and cover each period of music. For example....

Baroque: P&F 9/10 or even an  Invention -- Bach
Classical: You have nothing listed. Perhaps a  Beethoven Sonata (perferably one that is not overplayed)
Romantic: Something from Chopin. Liszt could work too.
Impressionistic: Ravel or Debussy, which you have plenty of.
Modern: Maybe something by Joplin/Confrey/Berlin. If you don't want to do ragtime, there are plenty of contemporary composers, such as Muczynski, Bartok, Shostakovich, and Khachaturian.


I'm not sure where Rachmaninoff would fit in here if you choose to go with one of his compositions, since many consider him to be Late Romantic and others consider him to be Modern. The preludes are always good.

[bernhard]

I really like you Pianistimo, and I value the information you put in your posts.

But is it too difficult to spell you, your, you're, and so on, and impossible to capitalize when the  situation calls for it?

Pianistimo is the e.e. cummings of pianoforum

[kelly_kelly]

Pianistimo is the e.e. cummings of pianoforum