Reperatoire for Solo Recital

[Motrax]

Hello. I'm giving a graduation (from high school) recital in one week. In my usual manner, I have a lot of music which I've known well at one point or another, but I need to find out what I'm playing for sure in order to focus my practice time.

Here's what I'll definitely be able to bring up to performance level (or already have at that level) in a week of serious practice:

Beethoven Moonlight (all movements)
Beethoven Sonata 27 (first movement)
Bach Prelude/Fugue in E minor No. 10 from Book 2 WTK
Bach Prelude in A minor transcribed by Liszt (can't learn the fugue in time)
Scarlatti Sonata K. 9
Rachmaninoff Preludes Op. 23 numbers 4 and 5
Mozart Fantasy/Sonata in C minor K 547 (all movements)
Brahms Rhapsody Op. 79 No. 2
Chopin Polonaise Op. 26 No. 1
Chopin Nocturn Op. 37 No. 1

Rachmaninoff Cello Sonata Op. 19, first movement
Saint-Saens Cello Concerto, 1st movement (piano transcription for the orchestral part, music doesn't say who trasnscribed it)
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I'm playing the two cello pieces with a cellist (duh). I was thinking to begin with the Saint-Saens, go into my solo program, and then end with the first movement of the Rachmaninoff Cello Sonata. I have no qualms about playing single movements from pieces. I'm playing for a mostly non-classical audience, but furthermore, single movements can stand alone just fine, in many cases.

I'm looking to play for about an hour. The piano I'm playing on has very tough action, so I was thinking to have an intermission in the middle somewhere in order to give my hands a little break.

Here's the program I've been thinking about.

Saint-Saens Cello Concerto 1st mvmt.
Bach-Liszt Prelude in A minor
Mozart Fantasy in C minor (no Sonata)
Rachmaninoff Prelude 4
Rachmaninoff Prelude 5
~Intermission~
Scarlatti Sonata
Brahms Rhapsody
Chopin Nocturn
Rachmaninoff Cello Sonata

This doesn't seem to be very well balanced. I wanted to shy away from playing the Moonlight, since it's overplayed, and I don't think the third movement is beautiful enough to justify all the work which must go into making it technically accurate. I also am pretty bored with the Bach prelude/fugue in E minor, I've been playing that for a very long time. However, I'm open to any and all suggestions, no matter what they include, as long as they are between 50 minutes and 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Thanks very much in advance!

Motrax

[JK]

This is what I might be inclined to do:

First half:
Scarlatti sonata,
Mozart Fantasy or/and sonata,
Brahms Rhapsodie.

Second Half:
Rachmaninov preludes,
Saint-seans cello concerto,
Rachmaninov cello sonata.

Then you can always play one of the Chopins as an encore!

[Motrax]

I have Moszkowski's 6th etude as an encore, forgot to mention it. I wouldn't want to play it as part of the main program.

The Scarlatti Sonata is very short (less than 2 minutes long), and although fast, it's also somewhat easy. I don't want to begin with that, the audience will probably fall asleep. I could replace that with the Bach-Liszt. My other concern is that Rachmaninoff's 5th prelude is probably the most tiring piece in my program (I'm not sure why, but I've practiced it quite a bit on the piano I'll be using, and it always seems to exhaust me), that's why I had it right before the intermission.

Perhaps that is a good idea to have both cello pieces at the end together, rather than seperating them. Thank you!

(More suggestions would still be appreciated)

[cziffra]

may i congratulate you on your repertoire?  that's quite a significant list for a high schooler (well, it's a significant list for any pianist really.)  well done

[EthanT]

SOOO!!! Im a freshman at high school and I can play too  . Heres what i can do!! (ive been playing since first grade... My piano teacher is the vice president of the music department at the University of Texas)

My Repertoire: (I love liszt - My favorite)

(Liszt)
La Campanella
Hungarian Rhapsody #6
Mazeppa
Hungarian Rhapsody #14
Mephisto Waltz (I still suck at it) (IN PROGRESS)

Scriabin- Etude 12

Mozkowski- Caprice Espagnol (I dont think anyone here has heard what a great song this is)

Lecuona- Aragonesa-Ante de Escorial-Por que te vas?

Beethoven- Full Moonlight Sonata (I hate 3rd movement)

Grieg- Concerto in A minor

(Some of this stuff needs to be relearned actually!)

TAKE THAT!! I wish i could have my own concert and play all of this... that would rock. Most of my peices are especially made for concert performances as  you can see. If i was to have a concert... this would be the order for me

Hungarian Rhapsody #6
Scriabin Etude 12
La Campanella
Mozkowski Caprice
(BREAK)
The Lecuonas
The Beethoven Sonata
Finish with Grieg A minor (Or Mephisto if i can ever learn it)

[Dave_2004_G]

What was the point in that?
Sorry I just thought your post was abit random Ethan

Dave

[Chopins_Fantaisie]

Beethoven- Full Moonlight Sonata (I hate 3rd movement)

i'm biased... that's the best movement of the moonlight sonata.  

[Chopins_Fantaisie]

btw, Motrax, indeed, impressive program you have there. I wish you luck on your recital - and remember to have fun! that's the best part.

[Motrax]

First of all, thank you for those who congratulated me on my program. It took a lot of work to get things to the level they are at now, and I plan on working quite a good deal more (concert's in exactly one week!).

For you who post your own reperatoire, excuse my rudeness, but I frankly don't give a damn. I'm not trying to impress anyone with what I can play, I simply asked a very straightforward, uninsinuating question. There's a miscellaneous forum for you to brag, or you could start your own topic. No need to fill up this one with spam.

Ahem.  

[belvoce]

Great program!

[JK]

I agree with Motrax, what was the point of posting messages about your own repetoire when all that was asked for was advice, other than to show off of course. I don't neccesarily think that people really would care to know how many insanly virtuosic pieces you can play, especially when it's on a strand where someone is asking for useful advice!!

[Motrax]

Well, thank you for your support.  

Turns out there's no way I can prepare the Saint-Saens in time - I just practiced with the cellist, and it was quite a disaster. So I'm scratching that from the program. I've decided on this...

Bach-Liszt Prelude
Mozart Fantasy/Sonata
Rach Prelude 4
Rach Prelude 5
~Short intermission~
Brahms Rhapsody
Chopin Nocturne
Rachmaninoff Cello Sonata

I think that's the program I'll stick with. It's roughly one hour, which is probably more than enough for the non-classically inclined, but it's long enough for a concert.

Now, I've got another question since I decided on the program (with your help, thanks!). What's your opinion of playing with the music at a concert? I personally think it should not matter, as long as one has a page turner. The music is what's important, and if someone plays better with music, then by all means they should use it.

[jennbo]

if you don't know all the notes, all the pedal marks, etc etc then by all means just play with the music.
personally i don't have a problem with memorization and i think reading music while trying to perform is both a distraction and just bothersome.  I don't know how to explain it but it's just annoying.  anyway good luck on your recital/concert!

[shatteringpulse]

I draw on this analogy in my argument for memorization and against reading or a reminder(with music in front of you):

Which speeches are more convincing? The ones where a speaker reads directly off the page, verbatim, the ones where the speaker refers occassionally to his notes or notecards, or the ones where the speech is performed entirely from memory? Surely the third one contains the greatest dynamism, the greatest risk, and the greatest inspiration.

If you have the music in front of you, its a distraction. No matter what. It's one more thing you must worry about, rather than staring into the air. It will impede your performance completely and entirely! You are not ready for a recital until you can perform entirely from memory, and not just from memory--when you can play directly from your mind/heart/soul, without even thinking about what comes next and not needing a reminder of what the next passages is, even if you don't intend on reading it. Until you can hear all the music in your head and let your fingers naturally flow, without intervention from your mind, you will deliver subpar performances. How can you possibly be shaping the structure and giving nuance to the notes if you have music in front of you? The piece has really not been internalized been grafted into your being until you no longer need to think about it--it just flows.

Of course, that's just my opinion  

I would use the music if you really want to give a recital but you don't feel completely confident. But just keep in mind that even having the music there to remind you of the next music, a nd not to read, will mar your performance. The inspiration is immediately lost, the spontaneous quality--everything goes out the window. Even if you forget the notes, if you forget a whole section, you should know it so well you can improvise off of whatever you remember--and maybe your improvisation will be better than the piece itself. But reading the notes, or even needing the piece's sheet music as a reminder--it ends the art part of the performance and makes you more into a machine.

You don't need to know all the pedal points--you can invent your own on stage. Experiment! Pedal is guided by the sound anyway--and you will have no idea when you want to clear the pedal until you are already on stage--unless you practice in the hall beforehand.

Plus--the element of risk makes performances infinitely richer--you need the diabolical in every performance, not some safe, silly, note-perfect masquerade. You're either on that night, or you aren't. Hahaha...

Well, take my comments for what they're worth--it's an ideal, for me...

[belvoce]

I playing with the music makes you the most comfortable, then go ahead and use it. If you are comfortable, chances are the audience will be too. If you aren't, the audience will pick up on it. You don't want your audience to be nervous for you!

[Chopins_Fantaisie]

Use the music if you like. I see nothing wrong with it (although shatteringpulse had some very good points!). When I gave my recital a couple weeks ago, I had part of the program memorized and part read from the music. I had music before me on the stand the entire time. Having it there for the memorized pieces was just a security thing. I think using music (having it before you but not needing it, or even using it for non-memorized pieces) is fine... I've heard some concert pianists even have music before them but they may not use it. Security!

again, good luck with your concert.

[f0bul0us]

Usually page turners are only granted for players providing accompaniment. In ways you're lucky because in almost all concerts/competitions/recital the person on piano has to have the complete repertoire memorized. Then there's the not so lucky part where you devote more of your time to reading the music, and less time focusing on your interpretation of the piece. Which in the end, really determines the success of your performance.

Good luck!

[amanfang]

I think that page turners are a disctraction, and I would not use one for a solo concert.  I think that music should be memorized, especially for a more formal setting like a recital.  Using music during a performance like that can be very distracting to you the performer.

[sharonlovespiano]

Next week I will play this repertoire:
first half:
Beethoven Sonata op. 10 no. 1, completely
Bach Franch Suite no. 6, also completely

second half:
Chopin Etude op. 25 no. 12
Chopin Impromptu op. 26 no. 1
Rachmaninoff Preludes op. 32 no. 5 & op. 23 no. 7

[Motrax]

Do you have a question about your recital, or are you just saying it for the sake of saying it?  

If you ask me, I'd re-order the first half by playing Bach first. This makes more chronological sense. I would also vary the period more - the second half is all from the Romantic era. If you don't have any other reperatoire though, than it's fine (with the Bach/Beethoven switched).

[sharonlovespiano]

Do you have a question about your recital, or are you just saying it for the sake of saying it?  

If you ask me, I'd re-order the first half by playing Bach first. This makes more chronological sense. I would also vary the period more - the second half is all from the Romantic era. If you don't have any other reperatoire though, than it's fine (with the Bach/Beethoven switched).

I just say it.. But you give me good ideas. So you think I have to switch Beethoven and Bach?
And in the second half, it mustn't be all romantic? Do you mean I should play another composer, like Prokofiev or something?
thanks!