Suggestions for a school performance

[sk15]

Hi all

I am going to have to perform soon for a prize giving with my friend that plays violin. It is a formal night but our school is not musically orientated in the least, so you could say that the audience will comprise mostly of untrained ears.

Anyhow, last year performed an arrangement of Brahms' Hungarian Dance No.1 in G Minor and everyone really seemed to like it. This year I was looking at the Mendelssohn Song Without Words Op. 53 No. 3 also in G Minor.

I want any suggestions for anything catchy and interesting for us to play on the night please, similar to the Hungarian Dance. Or is the song good enough? We need a showy piece that will make the casual listeners remember us, and also a piece very short in length (at most 3 minutes).

Thanks

PS We don't do music to play as fast as we can!! It is only for this occasion we have to play something short for the classically untrained so our piece needs to be captivating and memorable for them.

[theholygideons]

how about a rap?
eminem or 2pac or sumthin'.

[ale_ius]

-Alee A. Marie

[thesixthsensemusic]

How about some Ysaye:

Don't worry about the length, there's some repetition in there which enables you too cut some bars, bringing down the length to about 2.5 minutes while still having a structurally functional piece.

[mhhudson15]

I know you said you wanted something similar to a Hungarian Dance, so you can freely disregard my suggestion if you want to. But honestly, I also think something like Pachelbel's Canon in D would be a good selection too. Even though you might have to shorten it, if you make what you do play elaborate and polish it well, it could turn out to be a great success. You and the violinist could also try things such as having the piano playing slightly more softly in some places and the violin softer in others, bringing out the part of the melody you're trying to emphasize at that moment. Just a thought.

Hope this helps!

[sk15]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys... Unfortunately my friend will not be able to play that evening, so I'll be playing alone, and I have a short piece ready, so it's sorted!