Recital programming

[cygnusdei]

Stumbled on this interview with Joel Hastings, winner of 2006 WCH competition:

https://webconcerthall.com/interview/hastings.htm

On recital programming this is what he said:

MOL: How do you select repertoire for your concerto performance?

JH: At this stage in my career I don't have a choice in this matter. I play whatever I'm hired to play.

Is this how it works usually? What if you're asked to play pieces that are not in your repertoire?

[elspeth]

If you don't know and can't learn them in time, you have to turn down the work, unfortunately. Certainly for concerts with an orchestra, until you get really established - and sometimes even then - the phone call will be 'we want to play this concerto in a concert this season, can you play it?'

Unless you're playing a solo recital in your own right, you will never have complete freedom over your concert repertoire because you have to choose it in conjunction with other musicians.