Audition Question

[colinthomson]

Hello, I am thinking about auditioning at USF for piano performance, and here are their requirements:

"Audition Requirements Piano (Undergraduate)

B.M. Piano Performance Degree and Piano Pedagogy Degree

Please pick from three of the following list of four categories. All works should be performed from memory.

1. J. S. Bach Prelude and Fugue from the Well Tempered Clavier Book 1 or 2

-or- Two movements from a J. S. Bach French Suite, English Suite, or Partita
-or- Two contrasting D. Scarlatti Sonatas

2. One movement form a Classical Period Sonata
(Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, or Schubert)

3. A Major Romantic Period Work

4. A 20th Century work


Sightreading may also be requested at the audition.

B. A. degree Music Major, or a Minor in Music

Please be prepared to play two contrasting works, each from a different time period. One of the two works should be performed from memory. Sightreading may also be requested at the audition."



The pieces I know and have memorized are:

Beethoven "Moonlight Sonata" (all three movements)
Chopin "Military Polonaise"
Chopin "Minute Waltz"
Chopin "Waltz #7"
Rachmaninoff "Prelude in C#Minor"




What do you think of my chances, and what should I play?

Any and all help would be very appreciated.

Colin Thomson

[quantum]

I'd highly recommend learning Bach.  It is required for many auditions in various places. 

Unless you have the moonlight at a high professional standard, I wouldn't recommend it as audition material.  It is too overplayed.  I'm sure you could find another Beethoven you like.  Look at Op 2, 7, 10, 26, 27/1, 28, 31 for starters.

For a major romantic work, those Chopin pieces probably aren't big enough.  People who choose Chopin for this category usually do a Ballad, Scherzo, Fantasie, Sonata, a large Polonaise like Op 44, 53, 61 and the like.  Many like to use the romantic selection to demonstrate their pianism and/or expressive capability.

You could look at the Valse Brillantes Op 18, 34 or Op. 42, or the more challenging Nocturnes such as 9/1, 9/3, 27/1, 27/2. 

[thierry13]

Hello, I am thinking about auditioning at USF for piano performance, and here are their requirements:

"Audition Requirements Piano (Undergraduate)

B.M. Piano Performance Degree and Piano Pedagogy Degree

Please pick from three of the following list of four categories. All works should be performed from memory.

1. J. S. Bach Prelude and Fugue from the Well Tempered Clavier Book 1 or 2

-or- Two movements from a J. S. Bach French Suite, English Suite, or Partita
-or- Two contrasting D. Scarlatti Sonatas

2. One movement form a Classical Period Sonata
(Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, or Schubert)

3. A Major Romantic Period Work

4. A 20th Century work


Sightreading may also be requested at the audition.

B. A. degree Music Major, or a Minor in Music

Please be prepared to play two contrasting works, each from a different time period. One of the two works should be performed from memory. Sightreading may also be requested at the audition."



The pieces I know and have memorized are:

Beethoven "Moonlight Sonata" (all three movements)
Chopin "Military Polonaise"
Chopin "Minute Waltz"
Chopin "Waltz #7"
Rachmaninoff "Prelude in C#Minor"




What do you think of my chances, and what should I play?

Any and all help would be very appreciated.

Colin Thomson

Your pieces are WAY too easy to get into university. The military polonaise is a great work, but it's not a "major" work from the romantic period ... the Rachmaninoff prelude is not what would be considered has a "20th century" work. Your Beethoven too is too easy. Finally, you will have to learn new repertoire for every single piece requirement, and things harder than you are actually playing. I mean I don't know if even a professional could enter with such a weak program. Now I am guessing USF is kind of a good university and the level is normal for an universty. If I am wrong then forget anything I said.

For example, my audition program at university is : Bach toccata and fugue in e minor, scriabin etude op.42 no.5, and mendelssohn variations sérieuses (surprinsingly they didn't ask for a 20th century work). A friend of mine is doing : Bach partita no.1(complete), Debussy feux d'artifice from preludes book 2, and first movement from schumann's sonata op.11.Now mine is not even a high level program, it's pretty normal, and I'm guessing your university have similar standards. I'd suggest taking a year off to work your piano and get the pieces at a good level to be better prepared!

[hwangs]

Hey ColinThomas,

Wow... dont listen to Theirry. The biggest error with his post is that he calls the pieces you listed "WAY TOO EASY" & while easier pieces may detract from your chance of getting into music school, if you play musically, they'll value that over playing "hard pieces" poorly. Nonetheless, if you wanna go to music school for piano, you should definitely pick up some new, and significant pieces.

You should definitely start learning a Bach -- Prelude and Fugue from the WTC. There are quite a few manageable ones at your level, such as book I, G-major.

For the Beethoven, the Moonlight is indeed an overplayed piece, but if you cant prepare anything else, I would say keep it. Else maybe you can learn a Mozart Sonata (for instance... B-flat major K333)or an easier Beethoven Sonata.

With Romantic -- maybe Brahms Rhapsody 79 No. 2??

Good luck-

[jinfiesto]

I disagree with both people who have posted. Yes, the audition panel will prefer a musical performance of an easier piece to a dry performance of a harder one. However, there are standards that you need to meet in regards to difficulty for your romantic repertoire. It's there almost specifically to showcase musicality in the midst of technical difficulty. I'd try to acquire an easier virtuoso work if you can. The brahms op 76 Rhapsodies might be appropriate. You might also try doing some selections from Brahms 118 or 119 however most colleges will want the whole thing if that's the major romantic work. You might also be able to get away with doing a fistful of Chopin etudes. Op 10-9 and Op 10-12 as well as the third from the same set are all quite accessible, and there are other good ones as well.

For the Beethoven, only the third movement of the moonlight would be acceptable for an audition. Be wary though, if you're auditioning at a large school, most of the jury members will have had to sit through all the famous beethoven sonatas for student juries and for auditions. They will not take well to a mediocre performance of something they've already heard ten times that day. Although, I played the first movmt of the Pathetique for my audition, and that went fine, so you might be able to wing it.

You can probably get away with the Rachmaninoff honestly. I've seen plenty of people use Rach for auditions without incident, although they're probably looking more along the lines of the Prokofiev visions or sarcasms or some such thing to fulfill this category.

As for the Bach, since I'm going to assume that you now have limited time. I'd avoid a fugue at all cost. I'm going to assume it's your first, and a first fugue is always a nightmare. Personally I'd go for a couple of selections from a french suite. The french suites are easier than the english suites or the partitas. The Scarlatti may be doable depending on the sonatas you pick. However, by the contrasting implication, they will want a fast one, and Scarlatti can sometimes get a little nasty technically.

[xpjamiexd]

Maybe a Chopin Ballade for the Romantic work...no.2 in F major is a beautiful piece for showing of your musicality and also has some very technical passages in the arpeggios etc.

[artsyalchemist]

As someone who's gone through the audition process and gotten in as a performance major, I know the pain you feel.  However, your pieces aren't as bad as they're saying they are.  Besides, the judges look for quality more than level of virtuosity.

Here are some recommendations:

Bach Prelude and Fugue no. 17, 18, or 23 from bk. 1, no. 2, 10, or 22 from bk. 2
A Mozart sonata..yes, Mozart ...no. 8 (a minor), no. 12 (F Major), no. 17 (B-flat Major), or 14 (c minor)
If you HAVE to do Chopin, play one of his nocturnes.  Based on your list, they want creativity and expression, and nocturnes are effective.
Otherwise, look at Schubert impromptus or some of the meatier Schumann (Fantasy Pieces or Carnaval).
For a 20th century, try some Prokofiev (either the Visions Fugitives or Suggestions Diabolique)..or at least something contrasting to the Romantic one.