Opinions on this program?

[smarvelous]

Hi all,

As a student, I'm usually more of a lurker, but I want to start by saying how much I enjoy all of your contributions to this forum! I've gotten some great ideas from reading this over the years =]

I'm currently planning a program for my ARCT exam, and I was curious to see what you all think. This is what I would LIKE to play..

Brahms - Rhapsody in B minor, op. 79, no. 1
Liebermann - Gargoyles, op. 29, nos. 3 & 4
Debussy - Ballade
Beethoven - Sonata in A major, op. 101
Liszt - Un Sospiro from Trois etudes de concert
Bach - Toccata in G minor, BWV 915

If anyone has any comments or suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it! I've been struggling with this for a while. I'm a little unsure of the Beethoven - I've had some tell me I should save it for later in life, but I absolutely adore it. I've been waffling between some of the other sonatas instead (Appassionata, op. 7, op. 26), and had learned the first movement of op. 31 no. 3, but I just keep coming back to 101. For List E, I really wanted to play the Mozetich - Three Pieces for Piano Solo, but at 17 min it was really limiting my choices in the other lists, so I decided against it. So, this is what I've come up with for now.

Thanks!

[symphonicdance]

I am not familiar with the RCM system and syllabus; however, I suspect they want the candidate to play in the exam as if he/she's performing a recital on his/her own.  Also, excuse my poor music knowledge, I haven't heard or played any Liebermann's works before. 

Are you going to play in this sequence?  As an audience, I don't expect a baroque piece to end (but I am not suggesting that it must be at the beginning).  I would rather expect something grand to end sonorously.

[asuhayda]

Brahms - Rhapsody in B minor, op. 79, no. 1  <== AWESOME PIECE!
Liebermann - Gargoyles, op. 29, nos. 3 & 4   <== I know I've heard these pieces but can't remember them.
Debussy - Ballade <== don't know this one
Beethoven - Sonata in A major, op. 101 <== a Beautiful and challenging Sonata
Liszt - Un Sospiro from Trois etudes de concert <== one of the most beautiful pieces ever written.
Bach - Toccata in G minor, BWV 915 <== it's Bach, what else is there to say? 

I'd say over all this is a very good (and ambitious) set.  You like to torture yourself eh?  Any of these pieces could put you in the hospital.

Appassionata is a better sonata... but my God is it HARD!  Probably top 3 of Beethoven's hardest Sonatas.  So, if you can handle it, kudos.  I don't know how old you are, but I'm 33 and have been playing for 25 years and still struggle with this piece..  I'd say, it would for sure be the hardest out of your set.  So, I don't know if you want to take on that much.  Depends on how well you're playing everything else I guess.

One thing you might want to consider is playing a Mozart or a Haydn Sonata instead of Beethoven.. the only reason being that you're already stacked up with Romantic music and Beethoven's higher Opuses are just barely in the classical period (albeit, they are). That's of course, assuming you're going for different periods, which it seems like you are.

Un Sospiro and the Brahms Rhapsodies are both really hard pieces as well.  I can't say anything about the Debussy piece, because I haven't heard that one.  And of course, basically everything by Bach is hard.  Geez man... are you trying to kill yourself??

Best of luck to you!

[amelialw]

I'm going to ask first if you have a teacher? because the way you talk about it seems like you don't have one and you're planning your program and prepping for the ARCT exam entirely on your own. First things first: if you don't have a teacher you should get one, don't underestimate what is expected of you; if you have one you should consult your teacher.

If you look at the syllabus they want contrasting pieces of varied styles... plan the program based on your strength's, not what you want to learn.

[nanabush]

That's a sweet program man!

I did my ARCT a few years ago and played:

Bach - Prelude and Fugue in G major (bk1)

Grieg - Sonata (I slipped through the cracks in this one haha... it was a list B and they promptly fixed that about 2 months after I took the ARCT)

Brahms - Rhapsody in G minor

Ravel - Sonatine

Ginastera - Danzas Argentinas

Liszt - Un Sospiro

I got 88% on it (did really well on everything, but they really hated the Grieg lol!  That one was considerably lower than the rest).


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You do have a really nice balance... The Debussy is less played than 'La Cathedrale Engloutie' (which probably about 50% of ARCT exam takers play haha), and is a very expressive (and tricky!) piece.

Even though 'Un Sospiro' is considered an overplayed piece, the study (I think) is only out of 10 marks... it is a great showcase for technique at the ARCT level (you don't need to go nuts here! Wait until the LRCM), and is a beautiful end to the exam.

Make sure you find a nice compromise between what you like and what will make a good program 

If you aren't 100% sold on a list B, find one that you are... it's a quarter of the exam, and they'll know if you aren't really into the piece.  My issue with the Grieg was that after having worked on it for a year and half, I just got sick of it overall, and when I played it on the exam I was just totally uninspired and it was a little sloppy in the fourth movement.

Play the Gargoyles!!  I'm surprised that they ask for two selections (they're quite a bit harder than most of the pieces in the List E, aside from the Prokofiev Toccata), but those pieces kick ass.

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Make sure you get a chance to perform beforehand!  Set up a recital, or play in segments for other people; it'll make the exam seem like a breeze if you have already performed the pieces!