Perfect concerto repertoire?

[pianisten1989]

Sooner or later one'll need to create their own concert program.

What are your thoghts about that? I'd be glad if you explained your thought, and maybe some examples with accual pieces.

[avguste]

Right now I perform mostly American music recitals
I am attaching the program of my most recent recitals

[pianisten1989]

Yeah, a red thread, like all american composers or the complete chopin prelude or whatever, is always a good thing. But I thought more like... a main theme, but not so obvious. Like link togeather very different pieces, in a "comfortable" way.
Thx for your tip thought

[avguste]

maybe composers who attended the same school?or had the same teacher?

[lostinidlewonder]

I have always done concerts with some type of logic to the order of them. I have never done complete series of an Op, I find it too boring and if someone is so interested to listen to an entire volume they can listen to it on CD or something. I like to pick and choose what works best for my speech presentation to the audience, usually the pieces have to have a similar story element attached to them, or emotion. I remember doing concerts which had the theme of elements, like wind, water, fire, earth, I also did one that was about heart break and love, it was very interesting and fun to talk about (does require a bit of research but the internet has made that very easy nowadays).

My standard concerts however usually go; Baroque, Classical, Romantic, 20th Century. Personally I do not think you have to be so strict and play complete movements of a piece (even though I still get the rare person  annoyed with me at the end of concerts). I even have opened concerts with a WTC and only a prelude or even a Beethoven Sonata and only one movement etc. The problem is that you have limited time in concerts and to play all movements or all parts of a larger volume of works is a lazy way to choose your pieces for concert, also avoids having to craft your program in with more control detail in my opinion (some people might like more traditional concert structure but I have found the average concert goer is not so caught up over tradition).

I like to play in my concert pieces which are not often heard but which I believe are very good. However I strongly encourage you to always play at least some pieces (>=15% of your program) that most of the audience should be familiar with. Even if the piece is totally overplayed you consider to should add it to your concert. I like to introduce composers with their familiar piece then branch off from there and take the audience on a musical journey of my wish

One program organization pattern in concert I will test out in my next concert is the use of transcriptions. For instance, I will be doing selections from Godowsky Java Suite after interval of a future concert of mine, but to introduce Godowsky I will start the interval with Chopin Etude, Godowsky take on the etude then the Java Suite selection. After the Java, to stay on the theme of ethnic music I want to do Albeniz so I will do Godowsky transcription of the Tango then move into Albeniz. I will do a similar pattern in my first half of the concert doing a Bach/Liszt BWV 543 (Prelude+Fugue) to open then moving into Liszt after that. Hindu Merchant song from Korsakov then doing Sorabji's take on it is also very interesting for me and something rarely played. There are tons of other transcription couples you could come up with! I love connecting the pieces in this logical way, it makes musical sense to me, some people might get bored hearing the same piece but written in a different way, but most will appreciate the different way the piece was painted and perhaps from that they can catch a glimpse of the voice of the composer through an older master.

[thalbergmad]

You must have a bloody good set of fingers old chap.

Thal