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Topic: Concerto help? liszt, chopin, beethoven...?  (Read 2971 times)

Offline precipitato

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Concerto help? liszt, chopin, beethoven...?
on: September 26, 2011, 03:46:05 PM
hi everybody, i am a 14 year old and my teacher has been hinting to me on learning a concerto soon, but he gave me time to choose myself. these are the ones i am more interested in, i'd like to find out what do you think i can play based on my current repertoire standard. and dont mind giving those "difficulty rankings" things again? thanks :)

chopin piano concerto 1
chopin piano concerto 2
liszt piano concerto 1
liszt piano concerto 2
liszt totentanz
beethoven piano concerto 5 "Emperor"

and these are the most pieces i have played:
Appassionata sonata, Dante sonata, Tempest sonata, Un sospiro, Allegro Barbaro, Feux d'artifice
with the first two the most familiar with.

also if anybody is familiar with liszt's Hexameron, it seems like an interesting thing! but seems like rarely played at all...

Offline indianajo

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Re: Concerto help? liszt, chopin, beethoven...?
Reply #1 on: September 29, 2011, 01:29:57 AM
I'm glad your studies are progressing so well. I had the finger skills for Appassionata at your age, but not the emotional life to understand it or like it. I'm much more interested in it after a few loves lost.   
I suggest you listen to the concertos and pick out the one you have a passion for.  You are going to live with the piece for a year or more, find the one that you like the most, as well as matching your current skill set. 
I recently heard the Liszt Totendanz and liked it enough to write it down on my list of things to buy on LP, but that is me, not you.
Another thing to consider is what skill the orchestra has to have to play the score. If you pick something that an advanced high school district orchestra could play, that increases your chance of actually getting to play live. 

Offline quantum

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Re: Concerto help? liszt, chopin, beethoven...?
Reply #2 on: September 30, 2011, 09:49:29 PM
If this is your first concerto, keep in mind there will be challenges other than the piano part.  This is not solo music, you will need to be working with other musicians.  If you haven't done much ensemble work, perhaps a less technically difficult concerto would enable you to concentrate on building your ensemble skills without fretting too much about your own part. 

indianajo makes a good point.  If you pick a piece playable by a high-school or community orchestra, you will have much more performance opportunities. Also keep in mind concertos like both the Chopin selections, are also available for a string quartet arrangement. 
Made a Liszt. Need new Handel's for Soler panel & Alkan foil. Will Faure Stein on the way to pick up Mendels' sohn. Josquin get Wolfgangs Schu with Clara. Gone Chopin, I'll be Bach

Offline precipitato

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Re: Concerto help? liszt, chopin, beethoven...?
Reply #3 on: October 01, 2011, 04:26:00 PM
I'm glad your studies are progressing so well. I had the finger skills for Appassionata at your age, but not the emotional life to understand it or like it. I'm much more interested in it after a few loves lost.   
I suggest you listen to the concertos and pick out the one you have a passion for.  You are going to live with the piece for a year or more, find the one that you like the most, as well as matching your current skill set. 
I recently heard the Liszt Totendanz and liked it enough to write it down on my list of things to buy on LP, but that is me, not you.
Another thing to consider is what skill the orchestra has to have to play the score. If you pick something that an advanced high school district orchestra could play, that increases your chance of actually getting to play live. 

thank you. i have played the mozart's piano concerto K.488 in A major before when i was 12, after i took my atcl to prepare for ltcl. now, at ftcl, after picking up these works, i decided to move more. i can play appassionata rather well i must admit. thank you, indeed a concerto's a long work and choosing one that you dont like will simply kill your joy. these are the few i am most interested in, hence shortlisted.

If this is your first concerto, keep in mind there will be challenges other than the piano part.  This is not solo music, you will need to be working with other musicians.  If you haven't done much ensemble work, perhaps a less technically difficult concerto would enable you to concentrate on building your ensemble skills without fretting too much about your own part. 

indianajo makes a good point.  If you pick a piece playable by a high-school or community orchestra, you will have much more performance opportunities. Also keep in mind concertos like both the Chopin selections, are also available for a string quartet arrangement. 

ahh... i see! when i did my mozart i played two-piano though... never performed with an orchestra :S and my school orchestra's standard is rather... erm. ear-bleeding haha -speechless- thanks for your advice too though!
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