Help with conservatory audition?

[teosoleil]

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[pytheamateur]

Are you not considering auditioning for American conservatories?  The famous ones have many European teachers.

By European do you include conservatoires in the UK 

I'm only an amateur and would therefore most welcome your views on the difference in training between an American and a European conservatory.

[symphonicdance]

I'm neither a teacher nor a professional, and haven't entered into any music conservatory.  Just want to share my silly view as if I am an audience.

I think you are pretty good already.  Assume you can have 40 min, then perhaps the following would fit your requirement of a balanced programme and suitable difficulty.

Your proposed 4 pieces are inevitably well-known to many professors/examiners, and even it's likely that any replacement (of a piece of similar/same period/style) won't get rid of this issue.

On your selection nos 1 and 4, perhaps you can consider to change, as follows:-
Bach-Busoni : Toccata in D minor (after BWV 565)  (about 10 min) or a Well-Tempered Claiver piece has similar time duration or less.
Schubert : Impromptu in B flat major, D935 (about 10 min, w/o repeats) or Mozart : Rondo in A minor, K511 (about 10 min w/o repeats) , or why not put a Hadyn sonata here, say Sonata in C major Hob XVI 48 (about 10 min w/o repeats)

For etudes, if you need to do programme notes, then it may be better if you just go two or three of the same composers, whether Chopin, Rachmaninoff, or even Liszt, to make up 10 min.

Regarding your remark on looking for a modern piece, perhaps you can consider the following (technically challenging, too):-
Rzweski : Winnsboro Cotton Mills Blues or Whose side are you on? (from Squares & North American Ballads) (around 10 min each)
Kapustin : Sonata No 12 Op 102 (around 12 min)
John Adams : American Berserk (around 6 min)

Good luck.

[teosoleil]

Ah, thank you for the advice.

Yes, I'm apprehensive about the popularity of the pieces...I'm searching for more less-popular pieces above the technical level in my pieces already. 

[bachbrahmsschubert]

If you're looking for less popular pieces, Chopin etudes are definitely NOT the way to go. It really depends on when your audition is and what is in your known repertoire. Which Schubert sonata are you playing exactly?

Maybe one of the Handel suites? There is so much to choose from, but typically they want Bach because of the counterpoint and fugue (although you'll get that in the Handel suites, with less effective counterpoint, but that's just my biased not-so-important opinion). Most of Bach's keyboard works are fairly common. Maybe the French Overture? Either one of the Capriccios? Toccata?

Keep in mind that learning about one's capabilities is not solely based on proficiency of technique. Composers like Schubert are MUCH more difficult to control than Rachmaninoff. "Like" Schubert, although he's really one of a kind.

ANYWAY, time is a VERY important factor, which you seem to be aware of. There are some shorter pieces by Leo Ornstein that may interest you. I think most conservatories are going to be pretty specific with audition rep, so I hope you know you that Rachmaninoff fills your romantic era requirement.

Best of luck