My last repertoire

[point of grace]

I need your opinions about the programme i chose for my last conservatory piano exam:
I'm not sure about Rachmaninoff pieces. What do you think??
thanks in advance!
Grace


I   *Brahms, Johannes: Rapsodia en Sol menor Op. 79 No. 1 y 2
    *Chopin, Fréderich: Polonesa Op. 53
    * Rachmaninoff, Sergei: Etude Tableaux Op. 33 No. 1
                                               Momento musical Op. 16 No. 3 y 4
                                               Preludio Op. 23 No. 2


II     * Grieg, Edvard: Concierto para Piano Op. 16

[scott13]

Bad program, very little balance and no contrast.

Everything is from the Romantic period which screams bad idea in an exam. Why not show a range of musical styles and tastes rather than stacking one period?

I would drop out the Chopin Polonaise and play something by Beethoven ?

On a technicality you could get away with Rach as 20th C, then Brahms (good choice here) as your 19th C then maybe one of the substantial Beethoven sonatas to cover you in three styles ?

But as it stands now your program is not balanced or well thought-out.

[werq34ac]

I would not play Brahms Rhapsody no. 2... it's quite overplayed and personally I don't like that piece. Although the Chopin is overplayed as well, I find it much more interesting. The Grieg concerto might not be such a good idea since it requires an accompanist but if your willing to pay for one, or have a friend who could accompany you (or even better an orchestra, but that's quite costly), go for it. I would definitely not play Grieg AND Chopin. Both are too similarily showy.

Scott is right, you need some more variety. I would recommend a Baroque or Classical piece. Maybe both? Possibly lose some of the Rachmaninoff as well, since playing all 3 is a bit much. I would go with Moment Musicaux 3 and 4 since they provide nice contrast with each other.

I would consider a Scarlatti Sonata or a Bach prelude and fugue or partita, or some other Baroque work.
As well as possibly a Mozart, Haydn, or Beethoven Sonata.

[perfect_pitch]

How about the other end... Bartok? Maybe throw a little chromaticism in the works???

There's also others to choose from, but I don't know a lot about 20th Century music.

[juujuu1]

Thanks I was just wondering because I am trying to assemble a MTNA repertoire and slot of these competitions have restrictions like one romantic piece out of ur four pieces I do plan to learn the etudes at some point but if I use it in a mtna competition it will replace my scherzo. I like this étude and I will learn I am just not sure it will be now

[healdie]

I would not go with Rach for 20th Cenury because although he is chronologically his music is certainly not characteristic of it I always class Rach as a Romantic so he would simply be another Romantic choice

Maybe go Shostakovich Sonata 1, or 3 pieces by Schoenberg, or the Berg Piano Sonata,

[scott13]

I would not go with Rach for 20th Cenury because although he is chronologically his music is certainly not characteristic of it I always class Rach as a Romantic so he would simply be another Romantic choice

Maybe go Shostakovich Sonata 1, or 3 pieces by Schoenberg, or the Berg Piano Sonata,

Rachmaninoff is classed by most institutes as being a 20th C composer, and although not perhaps as atonal as some of the 20th C composers, he is in the time period. It's much the same argument as "Is Beethoven classical period or Romantic" and either answer is valid.

Personally i tend to use Rachmaninoff as my 20C composer in most recitals quite frankly because i believe most solo piano music after Rach is a load of rubbish. I have only once been questioned as to why i do this and that particular examiner (ATCL from ABRSM) ended up writing in her comments, that because i was able to justify my stance on the topic, she had no issue with classifying him as 20C.

Guess moral of the story would be, if you can justify why Rach is 20th C for you, by all means use it.

[point of grace]

Bad program, very little balance and no contrast.

Everything is from the Romantic period which screams bad idea in an exam. Why not show a range of musical styles and tastes rather than stacking one period?

I would drop out the Chopin Polonaise and play something by Beethoven ?

On a technicality you could get away with Rach as 20th C, then Brahms (good choice here) as your 19th C then maybe one of the substantial Beethoven sonatas to cover you in three styles ?

But as it stands now your program is not balanced or well thought-out.

thanks to all of you guys for taking time and write it down! i will certanly re-think the repertory.
What i think it was not clear enough is that here, to finish the Conservatory career, (in Argentina) you choose a composer or a period to play and make sort of a "proyect", a thesis, and you cannot play a piece from each period, you have to stick to the period or composer you chose. That´s why i chose my favourite romantic composers and pick up these pieces.
So now, any suggestions about this? thanks a lot in advance!!! 

[scott13]

thanks to all of you guys for taking time and write it down! i will certanly re-think the repertory.
What i think it was not clear enough is that here, to finish the Conservatory career, (in Argentina) you choose a composer or a period to play and make sort of a "proyect", a thesis, and you cannot play a piece from each period, you have to stick to the period or composer you chose. That´s why i chose my favourite romantic composers and pick up these pieces.
So now, any suggestions about this? thanks a lot in advance!!! 

Ahh this makes much more sense. In that case, your period would clearly be Romantic, and i would take the 4 greatest piano writers from this period and play something by each, so Chopin, Liszt, Brahms and Rachmaninoff. Try to go for different styles, like for Brahms play the Op 79 you suggested, Chopin's Op 44 Polonaise would be a great alternative to the Op 53 (which gets played bit to frequently), maybe a selection of Liszt's TE Etudes and lastly a selection of Rachmaninoff's Preludes ?

That way you cover a broad style range within your time period. Also think of Liszt's Grande Sonata in B minor if you have the technique to play it.

[healdie]

Rachmaninoff is classed by most institutes as being a 20th C composer, and although not perhaps as atonal as some of the 20th C composers, he is in the time period. It's much the same argument as "Is Beethoven classical period or Romantic" and either answer is valid.

Personally i tend to use Rachmaninoff as my 20C composer in most recitals quite frankly because i believe most solo piano music after Rach is a load of rubbish. I have only once been questioned as to why i do this and that particular examiner (ATCL from ABRSM) ended up writing in her comments, that because i was able to justify my stance on the topic, she had no issue with classifying him as 20C.

Guess moral of the story would be, if you can justify why Rach is 20th C for you, by all means use it.

Exactly he his chronologically a 20th century composer but when you are trying to balance out an already Romantic heavy Rep, you don't need another composer who sounds Romantic, I would also have to say that something does not need to be Atonal to sound 20th century take the Rite of Spring or Bartok perhaps both are usually tonal but yet both sound characteristically 20th century

and as for Beethoven I would not accept either answer he is clearly a Classical composer albeit a late and revolutionary one, he certainly had many Romantic tendencies and definitely paved the way but his actual music is still very classical in sound and structure

I also do not wish to open this argument again here but have you heard "most" of the piano music after Rach? it's funny he is one of my least favourite 20th Century composers it sounds old fashioned, and unadventurous in a lot of ways, try the John Cage sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano these are some truly stunning pieces and others (sorry realised I have began to ramble so will stop here)

[scott13]

Exactly he his chronologically a 20th century composer but when you are trying to balance out an already Romantic heavy Rep, you don't need another composer who sounds Romantic, I would also have to say that something does not need to be Atonal to sound 20th century take the Rite of Spring or Bartok perhaps both are usually tonal but yet both sound characteristically 20th century

and as for Beethoven I would not accept either answer he is clearly a Classical composer albeit a late and revolutionary one, he certainly had many Romantic tendencies and definitely paved the way but his actual music is still very classical in sound and structure

I also do not wish to open this argument again here but have you heard "most" of the piano music after Rach? it's funny he is one of my least favourite 20th Century composers it sounds old fashioned, and unadventurous in a lot of ways, try the John Cage sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano these are some truly stunning pieces and others (sorry realised I have began to ramble so will stop here)

Read his post after mine, he said he needs to stick solely in one period. Hence your first point is not valid.

Secondly, Rite of Spring is an atonal work. The foundation chord is C E G F# A# C# - all notes from the octatonic scale (how you deem this tonal is beyond me). Feel free to argue this one with me, i have not long completed a 2500 word essay on this work. And if the work was truly tonal why did the first audience riot and start a rather large fight in the opening 4 minutes?

Thirdly, I do not concede Beethoven is a classical composer, if anything i believe he is the first romantic composer. Take the final String Quartets, or the mature Piano Sonatas, and you can clearly see he is a romantic composer. Look at the second movement of Op 111 for clarification. This movement sounds like something put of the 20th C

[healdie]

Read his post after mine, he said he needs to stick solely in one period. Hence your first point is not valid.

Secondly, Rite of Spring is an atonal work. The foundation chord is C E G F# A# C# - all notes from the octatonic scale (how you deem this tonal is beyond me). Feel free to argue this one with me, i have not long completed a 2500 word essay on this work. And if the work was truly tonal why did the first audience riot and start a rather large fight in the opening 4 minutes?

Thirdly, I do not concede Beethoven is a classical composer, if anything i believe he is the first romantic composer. Take the final String Quartets, or the mature Piano Sonatas, and you can clearly see he is a romantic composer. Look at the second movement of Op 111 for clarification. This movement sounds like something put of the 20th C

Ok I will concede that I did not read his post clearly stating that he needed to stick to one period (Although I will admit I do find it baffling that anyone could fill a Repertoire with Romantic music)

On the Stravinsky you said so yourself it is based on a Octatonic Scale, therefore it is derived from some form tonal system if it was Atonal then it would not be derived from any key/mode etc also there is not one Octatonic scale any scale with 8 notes is Octatonic and So it could be Diminsished scale or Spanish 8-Tone or anything

and again how have you concluded that just because the work started fights it must be atonal? Rock around the clock also started fights and riots when that was released and is very tonal

And again Beethoven is clearly a forerunner of the Romantics and I will admit that his final works are very Romantic in style but then again, the forms and his way of developing themes are still very classical, I think to class him as a Romantic is to dis-regard his previous 40 years of work

[point of grace]

Ahh this makes much more sense. In that case, your period would clearly be Romantic, and i would take the 4 greatest piano writers from this period and play something by each, so Chopin, Liszt, Brahms and Rachmaninoff. Try to go for different styles, like for Brahms play the Op 79 you suggested, Chopin's Op 44 Polonaise would be a great alternative to the Op 53 (which gets played bit to frequently), maybe a selection of Liszt's TE Etudes and lastly a selection of Rachmaninoff's Preludes ?

That way you cover a broad style range within your time period. Also think of Liszt's Grande Sonata in B minor if you have the technique to play it.

your right... i need some liszt... and no, i think i could not play the grande sonata well played for this exam... i dont wanna take the risk...
can you suggest a set of Liszt ET? and a set of Rach preludes?? thanks a lot!!!