Piano Concerto

[smiggy]

Hey, I have been asked by some teachers in my school to play a piano concerto with an orchestra in a youth concerto competition. However, the only piano concerto I am learning/have ever learnt is Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3.
I only have to play one movement of it...Could anyone please suggest some good concertos I could play?
Doesn't matter how difficult or impossible they might be...just throw some suggestions.
Thanks 

[cmg]

Hey, I have been asked by some teachers in my school to play a piano concerto with an orchestra in a youth concerto competition. However, the only piano concerto I am learning/have ever learnt is Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3.
I only have to play one movement of it...Could anyone please suggest some good concertos I could play?
Doesn't matter how difficult or impossible they might be...just throw some suggestions.
Thanks 

Well, Rach3 is ridiculously and embarrassingly easy and you'd be laughed off the stage if you attempted it.

Only the Busoni (and it's a walk in the park) is easier, but you might get points for complexity if you do the last movement and maybe get some male members of your local church choir to sing along.  Or your buddies.  Whatever.

[thalbergmad]

All of the Finnissy Concertos are rather easy and the Henselt F Minor should not provide any problems as long as you can stretch a 7th.

Perhaps you should play the Rach 3 with your left hand and the Busoni with your right, as that might test you a bit more.

Hope this helps.

Thal

[communist]

The Schumann and Grieg are not that difficult ( Thal no comments ) and Rachmaninoff first, fourth and Paganini rhapsody are not impossible, And Ravel's in g major is great

[smiggy]

I'm not looking for easieness (if that's a word). I can stretch up to a 11th comfortably and am learning pieces way above grade 8.
I can't use a choir, just orchestra.

[sharon_f]

If you can play the Rach 3, then why don't you play the Rach3? I don't understand the point of this post at all.

[matthew from florida]

I love piano Concertos!

I recommend Beethoven's Op.58 Piano Conerto 4, or Mozart's Piano Conerto 20 K466 or Concerto 24 K491. Concerto 12 K414 and Conerto 21 K467 are also good.

-Matthew

[rhapsody4]

Perhaps a left-hand only transcription of the Tchaikovsky Concerto #1 interspliced with an additional cadenza from the Rachmaninov #3 (transposed down a semitone, naturally) would do the trick.

[thierry13]

Hey, I have been asked by some teachers in my school to play a piano concerto with an orchestra in a youth concerto competition. However, the only piano concerto I am learning/have ever learnt is Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3.
I only have to play one movement of it...Could anyone please suggest some good concertos I could play?
Doesn't matter how difficult or impossible they might be...just throw some suggestions.
Thanks 

I doubt anybody with the ability to play rach 3 would post such an innocent post. If you can play that, you obviously have a good teacher who can help you choose. You do not make sense, and you *still* compare yourself to grade 8, wich is beginner level. Any serious musician is out of the grade system. And anybody who plays rach 3 *well* is a serious musician. Also, serious musicians should have a good knowledge of the common repertoire, and should not ask others what he could play.

[Petter]

Second movement of Ravels G major concerto! 

[edwardweiss]

I'm with cmg on this one. Rach3 far too easy and not spectacular enough. Busoni very easy, but too short for most concerts. And people don't appreciate Oehlenschlager these days-he was far too much of a hippy. If I were you, I'd go for the Warsaw Concerto, the Autumn Concerto, or the Nachos Concerto.

[gerryjay]

Perhaps you should play the Rach 3 with your left hand and the Busoni with your right, as that might test you a bit more.

dear thal:
this is why i think piano is just a kid's instrument. how could you get some real challenge without that sort of trick? people answer: "sorabji!" ach...that's kids play.

if you let me, i'd like to refine your idea: play both works, as you put, at an organ and play a ferneyhough' work in the pedal range.

best!

[gerryjay]

Any serious musician is out of the grade system. And anybody who plays rach 3 *well* is a serious musician. Also, serious musicians should have a good knowledge of the common repertoire, and should not ask others what he could play.

the importance of being earnest...

best!

[gerryjay]

Hey, I have been asked by some teachers in my school to play a piano concerto with an orchestra in a youth concerto competition. However, the only piano concerto I am learning/have ever learnt is Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3.
I only have to play one movement of it...Could anyone please suggest some good concertos I could play?
Doesn't matter how difficult or impossible they might be...just throw some suggestions.
Thanks 

hi, there!
the fundamental question here is: how good is your orchestra? reading your description, i think you'll not have a professional orchestra before you, so i must advise you to consider something very plain and direct, as mozart's 9th.

btw, don't try to make a mark with the public playing a difficult concerto, because this is foolishness. specially, as i'm worried, if you orchestra will make a complete mess out of a rich romantic orchestration.

best!

[smiggy]

Yeah I know, bad mistake making this post. I should have just asked someone I knew.
I'm not doing it this year anymore as much teacher is having a baby so I have no teacher for like 4 months. Might try it next year...how annoying.
Oh wells, thanks for posting.

[kitty on the keys]

With the time off you could  easily learn Saint-Saens G minor and the Prokovief 3rd and if bored try Rach 2 or Liszt Eb.

Kitty on the Keys

[gerryjay]

you're welcome. 

[mr music]

Looks like you've been busy smiggy.

[teresa_b]

hi, there!
the fundamental question here is: how good is your orchestra? reading your description, i think you'll not have a professional orchestra before you, so i must advise you to consider something very plain and direct, as mozart's 9th.

btw, don't try to make a mark with the public playing a difficult concerto, because this is foolishness. specially, as i'm worried, if you orchestra will make a complete mess out of a rich romantic orchestration.

best!

This is a very odd thread!  As someone who cannot play Rach 3, but has played Mozart no. 9 (K271), I must add that this is the hardest one of Mozart's concertos that I've done yet!  (Have also done 13, 14, 17, 19 and 23.)  K271 is straightforward, and I suspect the orchestra would be able to do it better technically than they could the Rach. 

The challenge with Mozart is to get it properly "Mozartean" and not to make it the least bit muddy or overly romanticized.  The solo part is chock-full of tricky passages, ornaments and difficult cadenzas. The precision required between soloist and orchestra is very great, and my guess is, it could sound worse than Rachmaninoff if played badly. 

So, just play it perfectly, and you're golden.   
Teresa

[gerryjay]

dear teresa:
thanks for the comment. your opinion about mozart's 9, specially coming from someone who actually played it live, makes me want to look it with more care.
best!