Finale Piece for Regional Recital

[scott13]

Greetings all,

In 5 months time i have a rather major regional recital and am in need of some suggestions for possible finale pieces.

I am opening with a Clementi Sonata, followed by Bach's Prelude and Fugue # 16 (WTC book 1) and need a 3rd and final piece to conclude.

The recital rules are: 3 pieces (all from different periods and styles) , time <= 20 mins

Seeing as the first two pieces are roughly 9-10 minutes combined, i am looking for a more substantial finale piece, ideally something grand and technically demanding. I am also looking for the piece to finish on a happier tonality to finish the recital, i am not looking to finish with a slow expressive piece as the Bach P&F already covers that style.

So far i have thought about :

1) Chopin's Polonaise in Ab (Heroic)
2) Finale (4th movement) of Brahms Sonata #1 In C
3) One of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies
4) 1st movement of Rachmaninoff's Piano Sonata #1

Any possible suggestions from the ROMANTIC period would be appreciated. I am not after a 20th C piece so please don't suggest any. 

Thanks

[pianistcellist]

Well here are my thoughts.

If this is a competition I may have different ideas, but if this is just a recital I would recommend as follows.

1) The Polonaise could be nice, but it is pretty over played and doesn't seem to follow well with the Bach either Key or mood wise.

2) This I think would be a really good idea. It is the most uplifting of the pieces that you have listed although, depending on your audience, it could be a bit unknown.

3) Sorry to say, but I do not like the Hungarian Rhapsodies. If I had to pick one I would say 6 or 12. Either would work fine, but personally I would do the Brahms.

4) The Rachmaninov is a piece I adore. I have played it many times and plan to play it many more times. In my opinion it works best as a whole (i.e. all three mvts.) The first mvt, is a little longer than you need anyway. Also it has a soft almost incomplete ending (that transitions perfectly into the 2nd mvt! I love this piece), so while I think it is a great piece I am not sure it is what you are looking for. It is crazy hard too!

Have you thought at all about a Chopin Ballade (maybe the 3rd) or the Scherzi (I would suggest the 4th)? If not those maybe the Liszt Mephisto or the 2nd Ballade.

Hope that helps a little.

[spencervirt]

I would recommend Chopin's third ballade. It is very expressive, romantic, and technically difficult at the same time. It might be a good piece for your recital.

Hungarian rhapsody no. 2 by Liszt is always a winner.

The first movement of Chopin's sonata in b flat minor is great as well.

Any Chopin scherzo would work- I like the second and the third- the third being more difficult and I believe less played. The nice thing about the third is that while it is difficult, it is basically the same thing over and over again. Once you get it you get it.

Hope that helps

[scott13]

Thank you for the replies so far. I should have clarified, this recital is for a competition.

 I was myself leaning towards the Brahms for the precise reason it is not an over-played piece like the Heroic is (though the heroic is always a crowd favourite, where as the Brahms is relatively unknown . Though i would love to learn one of the Ballades as well. Do you happen to know the relative difficulty of the 3rd Ballade and the 2nd & 3rd Scherzi  compared with the Heroic?

Another piece that jumped to mind was Chopin's Grand Valse Brilliante in Eb (mainly due to it's technical difficulty and well known status amongst audiences)

I appreciate the replies so far, Thanks

[spencervirt]

It's all depending on your personal strengths and weaknesses. For me, the heroic polonaise would be way harder than ballade 3 or scherzo 2 or 3. Ballade 3 is fairly straightforward. Scherzo 2 has a lot of arpeggios as does ballade 3. Ballade 3 also has a lot of fast octaves.

Listen to them all and see what reflects your strengths. In terms of dificulty of interpretation, the polonaise would be much easier. Chopin's larger works require a lot more in terms of putting it all together. Something to think about.

[pianistcellist]

I would say that the 3rd Ballade is harder than the 2nd Scherzo for sure and probably the 3rd Scherzo as well. I think it is a better piece over all as well. The polonaise is maybe a bit "heavier" than the Ballade and the Scherzi, but musically I think it would be far easier. If you do not have easy octaves the polonaise may be sone work but besides that (and alot of voicing work) its not too bad. The Ballade is a little awkward for some people and cannot sound difficult. The 2nd Scherzo has nothing bad at all and the 3rd scherzo has only a few tricky passages that are easily mastered with some slow practice.

Best wishes

[pbryld]

It's 2011, do some Liszt.

Hungarian Rhapsody Nos. 2, 10 (a bit short, but it will end your recital and on such a happy note) and 12 are breathtaking.

If you are allowed 4 pieces, I'd do #10 and Grand Galop Chromatique or Galop Russe which will sweep everyones feet away.

[quantum]

As mentioned above, you have to consider your strengths.  The Grand Valse Brillante requires a skill that draws the listener towards elegance and simplicity.  The Ballades ask you to be a nuanced storyteller.  The Heroic Polonaise needs poise and grandeur.  Something to think about. 



Chopin - Rondo à la mazur, Op.5

Scriabin - Sonata No 4.  Listen to it before you jump to conclusions. 

Medtner - Danza Festiva, Op.38, No.3

[pbryld]

Liszt's Rhapsody Espagnole (Spanish) is also spectacular.

[gerryjay]

as far as we are talking about obvious choices, go with the most obvious one: liszt.

good luck with the recital!

[franz_]

As it is fore a competition, ot bad to take this first Rach sonata. It's original, you can sow a lot in it and they'll remember you, I'm pretty sure noone else will take this work. It's also a very nice work for the rest of your lie and other competitions to play it complete.
Liszt is good to, find a piece that fits good for you, and you'll end with a lot of brilliance and bravoure.