My Recital Program

[punkpianist360]

DISCLAIMER:  There are multiple reasons why I have the layout as I do.  For one, my generation has the attention span of a bee, and thus I use several intermissions so that can have time to unwind mentally.  Second, I like to start my recital with a bang.  It may be too long, but it's under construction, as I will learn all of this for a competition, and I thought it'd be good to play them in a concert first.  And while I perform, I will have ambiance throughout to go with each motive of the piece.  I call this the CHAOS CONCERT
Behold, my program, critics, comments please!!!!!!!!!


Capriccio in D Minor, Op. 116 No. 1                                     Johannes Brahms
      
Reflets dans l'eau, from Images, Book I                                Claude Debussy
   
Two Prelude and Fugues from Book II of the Well-Tempered Clavier

Prelude and Fugue No. 14 in F Sharp Minor, BWV 883
Prelude and Fugue No. 20 in A Minor, BWV 889              
                                                                                              J.S. Bach        
– Intermission –
Piano Sonata in A Minor, D. 537                                             Franz Schubert
I.   Allegro Na non troppe
II.   Allegretto Quasi Andantno
III.   Allegro Vivace

Wilde Jagd, No. 8 from Douze Études d'exécution transcendante, S. 139         Franz Liszt  

– Intermission –

Op. 25: Étude No. 10 in B Minor "Octaves"   
Scherzo No. 3, Op. 39 In C-Sharp Minor   
                                                                      Frederic Chopin

Op. 118, No. 5, Intermezzo in E-Flat Minor   
Rhapsody in E-flat, Op. 119, No. 4   
                                                                    Johannes Brahms

– Half-time Show, artists TBA –
(If possible, I will play Sieze the Day and Fiction by A7X, acoustic with my friend' band)

Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 22               Camille Saint-Saëns   
IV.   Andante Sostenuto
V.   Allegro Scherzando
VI.   Presto

[becky8898]

Hi. Actually i have two questions. How tiring do you find a program of this length. do you feel drained at all by the time you get to the last movement of the concerto.  I mean playing for the public is not like playing in practice . I always find you use a lot more nervous energy.  Also , starting and stopping that much, does it throw you off somewhat.  Once I start playing I kind of get into a groove.  Sounds like you will have a blast though. I like your choice of music.  Best of luck at your concert.

Cheers, Becky

[asiantraveller101]

Love your program!! Very cool, but taxing all well. Stay healthy and pace yourself.
Best of luck!! 

[lostinidlewonder]

Too many intermissions, there should only be one. You run the risk of people leaving during the intermission if you have too many, it also slows the concert down too much and people will become generally restless. This concert seems quite long have you timed how long it would take?

Why don't you start the concert with Bach? I do not see the piece connection between Brahms Debussy and Bach. I have been critiqued for playing WTC in concert when I first started off doing concerts, but I still now and then play them but people generally people respond better to non WTC!

I find the Schubert Piano Sonata excessively boring unless you can play it with something special but even the pros make me fall asleep here. Schubert is just so difficult to pull off well and for a non piano minded audience it will bore them to tears no matter how you play it. Must you do the entire Sonata? Can mix it with other Schubert perhaps. The Liszt although a showy piece will not be enough to make people care if they have been lulled to sleep with the Schubert.

Chopin/Brahms is ok mix.

Piano Concerto Saint-Saëns??? Have you got an orchestra to back you here or 2nd piano? Personally I don't like this played with 2nd piano.

[punkpianist360]

Too many intermissions, there should only be one. You run the risk of people leaving during the intermission if you have too many, it also slows the concert down too much and people will become generally restless. This concert seems quite long have you timed how long it would take?

Why don't you start the concert with Bach? I do not see the piece connection between Brahms Debussy and Bach. I have been critiqued for playing WTC in concert when I first started off doing concerts, but I still now and then play them but people generally people respond better to non WTC!

I find the Schubert Piano Sonata excessively boring unless you can play it with something special but even the pros make me fall asleep here. Schubert is just so difficult to pull off well and for a non piano minded audience it will bore them to tears no matter how you play it. Must you do the entire Sonata? Can mix it with other Schubert perhaps. The Liszt although a showy piece will not be enough to make people care if they have been lulled to sleep with the Schubert.

Chopin/Brahms is ok mix.

Piano Concerto Saint-Saëns??? Have you got an orchestra to back you here or 2nd piano? Personally I don't like this played with 2nd piano.

You have to understand that people in this generation have an attention span of a monkey, only being able to comprehend 20 minutes of classical music at one time. 

So what if I don't start off with the WTC?  What's wrong with breaking habit?  That's why classical music today is suffering, orchestras going into debt, record companies shutting down, etc.  You have to have a change of routine, and I, personally, think that the Brahms has a good opening, following a tranquil Debussy.

I change my Schubert Sonata to C Minor, I did not like the A Minor, but I learned to enjoy listening to it.  Jesus man, look deeper into each piece you play other than the notes, and at least try to understand it.  Stop thinking like a pianist for once, but like a musician, and even more so an ARTIST.

Honestly, in my eyes, anything goes, just make it work.

[gerryjay]

You have to understand that people in this generation have an attention span of a monkey, only being able to comprehend 20 minutes of classical music at one time.

Dear Punk,
I think you overestimate other generations' focus. Twenty minutes are enough for any public. You need special circumstances to do more than that.

Now, back to your program, are you kidding? I think that a non chronological order is fine, and I'm very pro intermissions, but a half-time show?!?

First, and foremost, your program is too large. Split it in two, just for starters. There is no reason to play all your repertory in a single evening. I assume that your competition have more than a session, so, break your program accordingly. Or break it in any fashion you like. But break it! It is unbearable the way you propose.

Then, let the half-time show go. Find a decent place and burn the house down with your band. Mixing things is half-way to disaster.

Finally, concerti played with piano accompaniment are not a serious matter: it's exercise for playing the real stuff. Unless you have a personal orchestra, or at least a friendly string quartet at hand (but Saint-Saens would not work in reduction), you don't play your concerto in a recital. On the other hand, I understand your need to put it live before your competition. A suggestion: ask a bunch of friends, and schedule a pocket recital with some opening (any 10 minutes of music you like) and the Saint-Saens. As much as you get serious and respect your friends as an audience, it will do the trick.

If you agree with the above, I am up to sketch a program with your repertory. If not, very good luck. Indeed.

Best regards,
Jay.

[lostinidlewonder]

You have to understand that people in this generation have an attention span of a monkey, only being able to comprehend 20 minutes of classical music at one time. 

If you totally agree with this then your concert would be nothing but pieces that run no longer than a few minutes. Do you not talk to your audience at all? That is rather boring nowadays. If you mix up your presentation with some talking then you will not need the useless intervals which just disrupt everything. Flow of your concert is very important, if you have all these intervals and extra presentations it just makes things drag along more even though you are trying to avoid it.

I have not seen evidence of this lack of attention in any paying concerts that I have given (and from personal experience most people ask me why is it so short, most of my concerts are two 1hour sessions with 10-15 minute interval) or attended and no the concerts are not filled with old people! If you present something professional and entertaining then you can hold the audiences attention for much longer with ease.

So what if I don't start off with the WTC?  What's wrong with breaking habit?  That's why classical music today is suffering, orchestras going into debt, record companies shutting down, etc.  You have to have a change of routine, and I, personally, think that the Brahms has a good opening, following a tranquil Debussy.

I think it just confuses people, they will wonder why am I hearing a WTC and then an interval. I don't feel like I need a rest after listening to WTC. If you really wanted to end your first section with a Bach then why not something more formidable and glorious, not just some exercise pieces which where not really written for concert in the first place (not to say that they shouldn't be in concert but to finish a section of a concert with WTC is just pushing it and not for the better in a matter of musical taste.)

The connection between Debussy and the Brahms is a little confusing, but then connecting the Debussy to Bach just seems random with no real reason. If you are talking to your audience with speech I wonder how you could finish the Debussy then start talking about Bach, it just seems disjoint and random.

Jesus man, look deeper into each piece you play other than the notes, and at least try to understand it.  Stop thinking like a pianist for once, but like a musician, and even more so an ARTIST.

??

Honestly, in my eyes, anything goes, just make it work.

Sure you are free to do whatever you like, but after all you asked for critique and in the matter of musical taste your program is just weird. If you are not planning on speaking to your audience, then it is just impersonal, if you plan to speak to your audience I would be interested how you bind the order of the pieces you play in a logical speech presentation.

[dtao12]

There are some great pieces in there, but the order and groupings are strange (I agree with others on that) and also don't think that the St. Saens concerto (wonderful as it is) is appropriate for a piano recital.

I think it is totally fine to play WTC in concerts. These are not just "exercises" (just like Chopin's or Liszt Etudes are not just exercises) but great music.

One specific suggestion about sequence: the Wild Jagd and the Chopin op 25#10 and the Scherzo #3 are all very octave-driven pieces. Even separated by an intermission, I wouldn't recommend them back to back to back. Then the Brahms Rhapsody shortly thereafter is also full of octaves (you must like them!). I suggest separating especially the Liszt and the two Chopins, possibly substituting a different Chopin piece (e.g., Scherzo 2 or 4 would contrast with the B-minor Etude, or a different Etude like Winter Wind or other featuring technique other than octaves). Especially since you seem to be stressing variety and an unconventional approach, changes like that would increase variety.

I suspect that the "half time show" is tongue in cheek. But if it's not, the idea of a recital that includes both solos and other instruments seems innovative and could work, given the right flow and selections, but if it's a classical recital, then playing pop/rock in the middle would not flow well, IMHO.

[punkpianist360]

Yeah....this was a long time ago, I've made a lot of changes.  I'll post my new program within the week.