Ideas for some new repertoire?

[mango1]

I am getting bored with my piano playing lately, because my teacher only has me do one page studies, and although they improve my technique etc, they are not necessarily fun to play.  Also, when people ask me to play something, I want to have a real piece to show them.  SO, I am at RCM level 8, I am intermediate level I guess.  I play Beethovens sonata op 49 no 1, about that level.  But that is the only "sophisticated" sounding piece I am playing.  So any recommendations for pieces that sound sophisticated or are very beautiful but not ridiculously hard?  I was thinking some Yiruma pieces.  Any other ideas?  Thanks!

[mango1]

I would like to play a Chopin Nocturne, any favorites?  do you think I would be able to play them?

[pianoisthebest23]

My favorite of the moment is Nocturne in F minor Op 55. You could probably play most of the Nocturnes if you put enough time into them, in my opinion, this is one of the less difficult ones. You could definitely pull it off. 

[percy88]

I'm no specialist, but I'm quite sure that if you really want to learn a Nocturne you will be able to do it, many of them are not extremely hard, and I still find them very beautiful pieces of Chopin music...

I did manage to learn Opus 9 No 2, it still need some work on some parts, and I've been playing for a few time.... Opus 9 no 1 is also really nice, but is harder.

You could also give a listen to some of his Waltz, he wrote many great ones, both of the opus 69 are quite beautiful, and not very hard.

Give them a listen, choose one you like, and take a look at the sheet, I think the most important thing is playing things that you enjoy, take some pieces and talk to your teachers about you playing them.

I've been learning Mozart's Rondo Ala Turca, this is well known even for people that don't listen to classical, and if I've been managing to pull it off you can certainly do as well.

[49410enrique]

i'd be guilty of dereliction of my fanboy duties if i didn't take stab at this with a plug to some of my favorite 'less' know pieces/arrangements.

this has should be well within your reach it has some really nice 'tense' moments once it gets going, the calm beginning really grabs at me personally, overall it's one of the more effective and 'varied' wroks in the first book. 

you can buy the book on amazon, ebay, squaresound.com, animeartbookonline.com, etc (listed several since it tends to sell out pretty quick on each website so you might have to shop around).

this one actually reminds me quite a bit of the famous rachmaninoff prelude in c # minor

[cadenza14224]

I recommend the following, for me they have been very fulfilling, and they sound utterly amazing without being highly virtuosic:

-Rachmaninoff Elegie (Op. 3, no. 1)
-Rachmaninoff Prelude no. 4 (Op 23. no. 4) ==> my personal favorite piano piece
-Chopin Prelude 1 (Op. 28., no. 1) ==> this one is very short, but it's really pretty, and fits nice with the fingers.
-Chopin Waltz Op. 64 No. 1 ==> always fun to play
-Scriabin Prelude 1 (Op. 11, No. 1) ==> another short one, but pretty sophisticated technique necessary

These are the big ones that make up my repertoire (i'm not exactly technically advanced to play anything with great agility), and I've found them to be very fulfilling, and think they are worth a try for you as well!

[jayeckz]

So any recommendations for pieces that sound sophisticated or are very beautiful but not ridiculously hard?  I was thinking some Yiruma pieces.  Any other ideas?  Thanks!

If you're open to pieces you'll probably need to put in a little time to learn, I would suggest the following:

Schubert's Op. 90 No. 2
Schubert's Op. 90 No. 4
Schubert's Op. 90 No. 3
Mendelssohn's Rondo Capriccioso
Claire De Lune
Rachmaninoff Prelude in C# Minor
Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu
Chopin's Scherzo No. 1

The list is basically from easiest to hardest.  If you can play the Beethoven very well, these pieces will all be in reach (some you may find extremely easy).  If you find the Beethoven difficult, don't bother looking at the Chopin I recommended.  All these pieces are extremely comfortable except the Chopin Scherzo, but the Scherzo is so repetitive, you'll end up learning the piece relatively quickly.

I would like to play a Chopin Nocturne, any favorites?  do you think I would be able to play them?

Absolutely, it's a matter of how much time you're willing to put in.  If I were you, I would avoid op. 27 no. 2, op. 37 no. 2, op. 48 no. 1, and op. 62 no. 1.

Of the Nocturnes I've played through, I would recommend op. 15 no. 1, op. 9 no. 2, op. 55 no. 1, and the posthumous one in c# minor.

[jdledell]

Mango1 - Others have given you some good ideas on classical material. I am very fond of Chopin's preludes and nocturnes and give them to all my students. At your level, you should be able to play most of them with a little extra work. Here are some ideas on contemporary music that will wow your friends and you can get them at MusicNotes.com

Yiruma - River Flows in You
Yann Tiersen - La Valse D' Amelie
Yann Tiersen - Comptine d'un ete
Yann Tiersen - Mother's Journey

[ciscoj33]

I am getting bored with my piano playing lately, because my teacher only has me do one page studies, and although they improve my technique etc, they are not necessarily fun to play.  Also, when people ask me to play something, I want to have a real piece to show them.  SO, I am at RCM level 8, I am intermediate level I guess.  I play Beethovens sonata op 49 no 1, about that level.  But that is the only "sophisticated" sounding piece I am playing.  So any recommendations for pieces that sound sophisticated or are very beautiful but not ridiculously hard?  I was thinking some Yiruma pieces.  Any other ideas?  Thanks!

I can feel your pain.  I'm working with a cousin whose teacher hasn't led her away from position playing after two years.  In any event, some pieces you can work on technically easy and will impress people...but do require musicianship to sound really great.....


Interestin you mention Yiruma....some really beautiful music there.....Look at The Day After and Kiss The Rain
David Lanz -- Cristofori's Dream, Canon Variations
Yanni -- In The Morning Light
Kevin Kern -- Through The Arbor
Rachmaninov -- Elegie
Scriabin -- Mazurka in B Minor
Debussy -- Arabesque no 1 -- little bit of an intricate hand against hand rythym but you should still be able to learn it.  might just take a bit of time.
Brahms -- Intermezzo Op. 118 no 2...technically easy but requires very expressive and emotional musicianship
Liszt -- Consolation no 3
Chopin -- Nocturne C# Minor op. posth.
And finally, a piece by Liszt that proves a piece without piano wizadry can still sound amazing.....Ballade Ukraine

[grandstaff]

You may also want to look at some of the Moments Musicals by Schubert, particularly the famous one in F Minor.

[scherzo123]

I am getting bored with my piano playing lately, because my teacher only has me do one page studies, and although they improve my technique etc, they are not necessarily fun to play.  Also, when people ask me to play something, I want to have a real piece to show them.  SO, I am at RCM level 8, I am intermediate level I guess.  I play Beethovens sonata op 49 no 1, about that level.  But that is the only "sophisticated" sounding piece I am playing.  So any recommendations for pieces that sound sophisticated or are very beautiful but not ridiculously hard?  I was thinking some Yiruma pieces.  Any other ideas?  Thanks!

Hi mango1. I would suggest:

Chopin-

Fantasie-Impromptu Op.66
Nocturne Op.9 No.1
Nocturne Op.9 No.2
Nocturne Op.9 No.3
Nocturne Op.15 No.2
Nocturne Op.27 No.1
Nocturne Op.27 No.2 (probably a little too hard)
Nocturne Op.32 No.1
Nocturne Op. 48 No.1 (I think this is the hardest, but it is insanely beautiful)
Nocturne in C# Minor Op. Posthumous
Waltz Op.18 (Grande Valse Brillante)
Waltz Op.62 No.1 (Minute Waltz)
Waltz Op.62 No.2
Waltz Op.69 No.2

Rachmaninoff-

Prelude Op.3 No.2
Prelude Op.32 No.5

[asuhayda]

Another Nocturne that you might want to consider is Chopin's posthumous c minor nocturne.  It is difficult, but beautiful.  The ending section is very passionate.  I love this piece!

[williampiano]

I would like to play a Chopin Nocturne, any favorites?  do you think I would be able to play them?

If your interested in starting one of the easier Chopin Nocturnes, I'd say op. 37 no. 1 would be a good fit for your. It is not too difficult compared to the others, it is beautiful, it sounds very impressive and it is not very commonly played.

[mango1]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!! This really has helped so much, these are great options!