Looking to Build a Concert Repertoire (~Grade 8)

[thomasmgill]

Hi all. I am looking to build a fairly standard repertoire of piano music to play in an informal concert setting. I don't have a set number of songs, or a set amount of time I want to fill. I just want to be able to perform at a local level, or for friends/family and have some variation.

What I am really looking for is a recommendation of other pieces to learn that would fill out a 'concert' nicely. I guess I am not really sure what that even means, but most of the pieces I already know are fast and/or grandiose.

Here are the pieces that I have right now, that I either can play fluently or am working on playing well. For reference, I would consider myself roughly a grade 8 player (some of these are slightly above, some at grade 7). I am by no means a concert pianist but I have been playing piano seriously for 8 months now.

Chopin - Waltz in D-flat, Op. 64 No. 1 ("Minute Waltz")
Beethoven - Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 - Movement 3 ("Moonlight Sonata")
Chopin - Polonaise in A, Op 40 No. 1 ("Military Polonaise")
Mozart - Sonata No. 11 in A, K.331 - Movement 3 ("Rondo Alla Turca")
Brahms - Waltz in E minor, Op. 39 No. 4 ("Poco sustenuto")
Chopin - Waltz in E-flat, Op. 18 ("Grande valse brilliante")
Chopin - Nocturne No. 20 in C-sharp minor, Op. posth. ("Lento con gran espressione")
Jack Fina - Bumble Boogie
Zez Confrey - Dizzy Fingers
Anna Asch - Concertino No. 1 in C

Thank you!

[redbaron]

They aren't 'songs', they're 'pieces'.

[theholygideons]

why not spice up your repetoire with some 2pac or eminem?

[thomasmgill]

Thank you, you are right, they are called pieces. I fixed it.

Any advice or pushes in the right direction as to where to find such information? I have been looking through the forum and internet.

[npm554367]

Are these the only pieces you can play? Some of them are way overplayed or too simple

[thomasmgill]

Yes, these are the only pieces I can play.

Unfortunately I have only been playing classical piano seriously for 8 months now.

I guess I am looking for a few recommendations of songs that would will out a casual concert setting nicely (not for the trained ear of other pianists necessarily).

It is tough, of course, since I only really know the common composers and even then, their most famous pieces.

[cabbynum]

Pieces*

Check out some more of Chopin, venture into the different nocturnes and the different waltzs
Maybe even a mazurka or 10.
Look into the preludes. 
What makes you think you are grade 8? I'm not trying to be mean. I'm just wondering.
No offense but I doubt you can play the 3rd movement of moonlight at full tempo with few - no mistakes. I would take that off my list if I were you at this stage.

Look into the rachmaninoff op.3 no.2 it's overplayed but it's a nice intro to rachmaninoff.
Don't even think about liszt. Stay away from harder rach pieces.

Try beethoven op.49 or op.14, by no means easy, but much more accessible than the moonlight.


Also I feel a bit weary of your list.

[thomasmgill]

Thank you for the feedback. The reason that I am saying that I am grade 8 is because, for the most part, I can play grade 8 pieces. I know that a few on the list are grade 7 (Minute Waltz, Rondo Alla Turca, Brahms Waltz), but a few are rated at 8+ (Moonlight Sonata, Military Polonaise). I am not sure where the non-classical songs fit in, but they are probably in that range too.

I actually can play the Moonlight pretty well. It isn't perfect, but I am working with my teacher intensely on the piece. I have been playing it for 6 months now, and am performing it at the New York Piano Festival in December. I can play the piece almost fluently at 135bpm, and the goal is maybe 150 or so. On the slower side, yes, but Kempff plays it at 155. I really want to keep it because it is a very dramatic, impressive song.

So for now, I will look into the Rachmaninoff and a Chopin Mazurka (or 10!). Maybe even the Beethoven. I love his Sonatas. It is definitely a good idea to have some songs that are not super overplayed (maybe these are too, I am not sure, but not as much so as the other ones I know). I also want to play one of Erik Satie's Gymnopedies. Definitely a contrast and I need to work on my expressiveness as opposed to just playing notes really fast like most of the rest of the songs I know.

Any recommendations on which Mazurka, since there are quite a few of them? And for the Beethoven, are you thinking Op. 49 No. 1 or No. 1? Same for Op. 14.

Thank you for the advice!

[cabbynum]

For the Beethoven either works.
Mazurkas is go with the famous one in Bb major first. It's not terribly difficult and it's a good intro.
I can't remember which number. Do a YouTube search for mazurka in Bb major and it should pop up.

For Beethoven it depends on if you want happy or sad. And I suggest reading through each of them first.
The moonlight is horribly overplayed and it needs to be expressive in order to not be boring, you can a symmetrize the whole sonata in about 2 pages.

[npm554367]

What about beethoven sonata op 2 no 1 or op 79? they are less played and not hard to learn all again

[cabbynum]

You're very right, also if moonlight is too easy, take a look at op.90 it's grade 8+ and the first movement is great fun.

[alpacinator1]

Yeah, sure you can play all that stuff after 8 months... 

[thomasmgill]

I took lessons when I was a little child but that was 10+ years ago and I did not practice seriously. Now I play 3+ hours per day. I already knew how to read notes, so that was a huge plus.

I like the Beethoven Op.2 No.1 Sonata, specifically movements 1 and 4. I'll have to take a look at all of these recommendations, thank you for your help.

The Moonlight is definitely not too easy. If anything, it borders on too hard for my skill level. I have spent the vast majority of my time at the piano on the presto and it is still not quite perfect.  I know that it is way overplayed, but it is a very "impressive" "encore" type song, especially for the untrained ear (who is my main target audience anyway, especially college girls).

Thanks for the advice, if anyone else wants to chime in I would love to hear from you.

[alpacinator1]

If you want to impress college girls, learning hard pieces like the Moonlight is probably a waste of time. Non-musicians can't determine the difficulty of a piece, even if it would be obvious to us, and are no more impressed by Gaspard de la Nuit than they are by Bach's C Major Prelude.

Anyway, if you like playing Chopin, you would probably like the Liszt Liebestraum n.3. I think it's right around your level. Brahms' Rhapsodies op. 79 are also great pieces and are around your level, although they might be a little trickier. I think the second one is a bit easier than the first.

[cabbynum]

Rhapsodies op. 79 are also great pieces and are around your level, although they might be a little trickier. I think the second one is a bit easier than the first.

Lucky you...

[theholygideons]

mate, you gotta play some Erik Satie.
that sh*t gets alllll the babes.

[mjames]

Military Polonaise after 8 months of playing? Damn ok

Show me a video and I'll believe you.

i just saw that you wrote mvmt 3 of the moonlight sonata too

video of that too

Because if this is true then holy sh*t man you are *** amazing.

[redbaron]

We get so many trolls on this forum that until we see video proof of your claims, basically we just don't believe you.

[thomasmgill]

That's fine. I do not feel obligated to post videos, but let me make my situation clear so hopefully you aren't drawing it out of context.

I started playing piano when I was 8 years old. I took lessons until I was 14, but rarely practiced and did not progress past, say, the simpler Bach 2 part inventions.

I took up playing piano again this past March (~7 years later) and have been going at it seriously ever since. So I already knew "how" to play, what fingerings meant, and how to read notes.

Even from the beginning of this 8 month stretch, I have been practicing 2-3+ hours per day. The past 6 weeks have been with an instructor who is a world class pianist himself (Alexander Beridze).

I wasn't trying to troll, and I don't think that I am superhuman either. I merely was looking for suggestions on pieces to play and gave the 8 month figure to help explain why I only knew how to play songs that were overplayed and popular.

Thank you for the advice though and I will keep working at developing a basic program for playing.

The pieces recommended are:
Chopin Mazurkas (specifically B-flat major)
Chopin Preludes
Chopin Nocturnes
Beethoven Sonatas, Op. 49, Op. 14, Op. 2 No. 1
Rachmaninoff Op. 3 No. 2
Satie Gymnopedies
Brahms Rhapsodies Op.79

[cabbynum]

Do not do Chopin nocturne op.48 no.1 or op27 no.2

Goodluck

[mjames]

ballade no. 4 by chopin


go big or go home

[thomasmgill]

I decided to add all movements of Beethoven's 1st Sonata in F minor, Prelude and Fugue in F# from WTC Book 1, Scarlatti Sonata in D Minor (K 517). This is going to take me a while on top of the rest of the recommendations. Thanks!

[cabbynum]

Why do you jump to such hard pieces so soon? I cant talk much here because i spent hardly any time on easier pieces but i have auditions coming up so skipping through a few pieces is fine. YOu have all the time in the world and no deadline. I have to have Bach prelude and fugue in F minor book 2 and appassionata done by early January, then i still have a liszt hungarian rhapsody and a virtuosic etude to learn. And Barbers Ballade. See why i skipped a few pieces? See why i am rushing? Slow down a bit man, i still dont believe you about the moonlight sonata. I bet you can play all the notes and then many more notes... Expressive playing should always come first. Youre 21 dont play a piece at the level of a 12 year old prodigy who is forced by his parents to play quickly and with no emotion. Don't start with that scarlatti, pick an easier one. I dont care if you think you are ready for it, you arent. The Beethoven Op.2 no.1 is not easy, the 4th movement is an absolute bear. You are not doing yourself any favors with these pieces.

[cabbynum]

my apologies i was thinking of this scarlatti sonata

the D minor you mentioned is fine

[dagny_taggart]

They aren't 'songs', they're 'pieces'.

I used to be stringent about this, too. I am not anymore.

[chicoscalco]

my apologies i was thinking of this scarlatti sonata

the D minor you mentioned is fine

Everyone think of this scarlatti sonata 

[thomasmgill]

That Scarlatti sonata could be the easiest song that I have, except maybe the Gymnopedies.

I attached a recording of me playing the moonlight third movement. It was recorded on a phone, and is not my best ever rendition. But it was recorded on a baby grand Steinway and Sons.

[lisztmusicfan]

Way to show em you played that really well. And you are well on your way. Since you seem pretty ambitious, try to spice up your repertoire with some Debussy. I reccomend Clair de Lune (overplayed but for your circumstances it could be good), or another good little concert piece is the girl with the flaxen hair. Ravel Pavane pour une infante defunte might also be a good fit. But ultimately, do some of your own research, because that's how you find music that you love. Good luck in all your musical endeavors
Logan

[enochy]

Moonlight 1st movement is incredibly easy. 3rd movement is easy but a tiny bit hard to play it up to speed with perfect accuracy.

[pianoplunker]

I took lessons when I was a little child but that was 10+ years ago and I did not practice seriously. Now I play 3+ hours per day. I already knew how to read notes, so that was a huge plus.

I like the Beethoven Op.2 No.1 Sonata, specifically movements 1 and 4. I'll have to take a look at all of these recommendations, thank you for your help.

The Moonlight is definitely not too easy. If anything, it borders on too hard for my skill level. I have spent the vast majority of my time at the piano on the presto and it is still not quite perfect.  I know that it is way overplayed, but it is a very "impressive" "encore" type song, especially for the untrained ear (who is my main target audience anyway, especially college girls).

Thanks for the advice, if anyone else wants to chime in I would love to hear from you.

College girls, or dudes do not care about "level 8". Does not matter if they have trained ears or not. what impresses people is how much feeling, not skill , that you can put into it. also you may want to try singing a love song at the piano- a modern "song" not a "piece". that is much more effective for connecting with the untrained masses.

[thomasmgill]

Way to show em you played that really well. And you are well on your way. Since you seem pretty ambitious, try to spice up your repertoire with some Debussy. I reccomend Clair de Lune (overplayed but for your circumstances it could be good), or another good little concert piece is the girl with the flaxen hair. Ravel Pavane pour une infante defunte might also be a good fit. But ultimately, do some of your own research, because that's how you find music that you love. Good luck in all your musical endeavors
Logan

Thank you for the recommendations and comments on the audio. It is nice to know that the performance wasn't terrible, and I am improving my interpretation literally every day with intense practice and instruction from a world-class pianist.

[cometear]

Your tone is weak. Pick more chordal pieces and try to build a stronger (not louder!) tone.

[thomasmgill]

Your tone is weak. Pick more chordal pieces and try to build a stronger (not louder!) tone.

What do you mean by a weak tone?

[arungargstl]

OP,

You seem to care for the quality of the music by the way you defend you experience. I might advise you to slow down in learning these pieces. Just by the Beethoven you've uploaded, it's clear that you aren't ready for this type of literature. The Beethoven sonatas aren't a walk in the park, but deep and philosophical music that requires a certain control of tone and technique, all while maintaining and projecting the structure and form of the sonata movement. You demonstrate a lack of tonal awareness, let alone uneven passage work and articulation etc.

This is what is missing in your playing, which is not shocking for playing for such a short time. You will be much happier and less frustrated going at a reasonable pace, and when you are ready for the concert repertoire you wish to play, you will love these pieces so much more.

However, if your goal is to impress chicks, don't mess with these great masterpieces. I might suggest some of the """"""virtuoso""""" arrangements of movie scores that that guy on youtube writes. They are easy to play, sound impressive, and don't require much musical thought whatsoever.

[vansh]

However, if your goal is to impress chicks, don't mess with these great masterpieces. I might suggest some of the """"""virtuoso""""" arrangements of movie scores that that guy on youtube writes. They are easy to play, sound impressive, and don't require much musical thought whatsoever.

This. At my university there is a public lounge with a grand piano in the corner, open for anyone to play. What people play that sets twitter afire is stuff like the theme song from Titanic, Aladdin, the soundtrack of Up, "What Does the Fox Say?", Avril, Mumford and Sons, etc. I have yet to see a single tweet about any classical music or player -- but there's been multiple swoons and "made my day" and "sounds so hot" and all that from any of the list above. Maybe my rendition of more classical repertoire just isn't as good as I think it is 

Anyway, from what I've personally played, if you're looking for something more expressive as a counterpoint to "fast and grandiose", I think Sibelius's "Romance" is pretty good, although it may be a bit simplistic depending on your abilities. It's one of my personal favorites. Another one, although I risk torches and pitchforks because it's very much overplayed (and often played badly), is Chopin's (in)famous Fantaisie Impromptu. Although the first and last sections are fast, they're not meant to be "loud fast" but provide more of a mood or atmosphere, and the middle section gives you an opportunity to be expressive. And in terms of girl-getting ability, well, I offer this as evidence.

Sibelius's Romance (played by Jouni Somero):

Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu (played by Yundi Li):

[thomasmgill]

I should be a little more clear about my goals. Ultimately, I play piano and classical in particular because of my enjoyment for the instrument.

That said, thank you for the feedback on the Moonlight Sonata recording. The more I listen to the way that I play, the more I realize just how far I am from making the piece be at a high level. When I listen to, say, Barenboim, Arrau, Gilels, Richter, etc. They play it with much more competency than I could ever hope for. Even when listening to high-level students, like the one who performs in Andras Schiff's masterclass on YouTube, it's still night and day.

That said, I've decided to cut back on the level of new pieces.
I've removed Chopin's Grand Valse Brilliante, I never even fully learned the notes anyway, because it really is a piece that is too happy for my tastes.

I've added Brahms Intermezzo in A major (Op. 118 No. 2), Bach Invention No. 8, Scarlatti Sonata in D Minor K.516 (to complement K.517), Beethoven Sonata No. 1 in F Minor Op. 2 No. 1 First Movement, Brahms Sonata No. 1 in C Major Fourth Movement, and Satie Gnossiennes Nos. 1, 2, 3.

The only piece that is technically, perhaps out of my reach, is the Brahms Sonata in C Movement 4. It reminds me a lot of the third movement of the Moonlight Sonata but in a major key instead of a minor key. I do love the movement though, and my (now former) piano teacher plays the whole sonata unbelievably. There is even an excerpt from the fourth movement available on YouTube.

[schwartzer]

I find that the easiest way to impress people is to play ragtime. For some reason, the chord leaps on the left hand makes people go wow. Along with all the syncopations, non musical people that hear it think that it's the hardest genre in the world.

[thomasmgill]

I should definitely try to learn a few more ragtime pieces.
Right now I have Dizzy Fingers by Zez Confrey which is quasi-rag and I have 'spiced' it similar to what Liberace did on his YouTube performance.

FWIW, I've decided to have this as repertoire for now:

Baroque:
Bach, J.S. - Invention No. 8 in F major
Scarlatti - Sonata in D minor (K. 516)
Scarlatti - Sonata in D minor (K. 517)

Classical:
Bach, C.P.E. - Solfeggietto No. 2 in C minor (W.117-2)
Haydn - Sonata in C major (Hob.XVI:50) - Movement 1, possibly complete
Mozart - 'Alla Turca' Sonata No. 11 in A major (K. 331) - Complete
Beethoven - 'Moonlight' Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor (Op. 27, No. 2) - Mvmts. 1, 3

Romantic:
Chopin - 'Raindrop' Prelude No. 15 in D-flat major (Op. 28, No. 15)
Chopin - Nocturne No. 20 in C-sharp minor (Op. Ph)
Chopin - Nocturne No. 19 in E minor (Op. 72, No. 1)
Chopin - 'Military' Polonaise in A major (Op. 40, No. 1)
Chopin - 'Minute' Waltz in D-flat major (Op. 64, No. 1)
Grieg - 'March of the Dwarves' Lyric Pieces (Op. 54, No. 3)
Liszt - Leibestraume No. 3 in A-flat major
Brahms - Intermezzo in A major (Op. 118, No. 2)
Rachmaninoff - Prelude in C-sharp minor (Op. 2, No. 3)

Impressionist:
Satie - Gnossienne Nos. 1, 2, 3
Satie - Gymnopedie Nos. 1, 2, 3

Contemporary:
Bartok - Mikrokosmos Book V, Nos. 125, 126 (Boating, Change of Time)
Anna Asch - Concertino No. 1

Non-Classical:
Jack Fina - Bumble Boogie
Zez Confrey - Dizzy Fingers (Liberace modifications)

That's around two hours of material.

[pytheamateur]

Hey, here's the programme I did for my friends and family last year.

Mozart: Piano Sonata in A Major K331
Ravel: Pavane pour une infant defuncte
Debussy: Clair de lune
Beethoven: Pianost Sonata in C sharp Minor, Op 27 No 2.
-Interval-
Chopin: Nocturne in E flat Major, Op 9 No 2; Waltz in C sharp Minor, Op 64 No2; Fantaisie Impromptu; Nocturne in D flat Major, Op 27 No 2; Nocturne in C sharp Minor, Op Posthumous.
Rachmaninov: Elegie, Op 3 No 1; Prelude in D Major, Op 23 No 4; Prelude in G minor, Op 23 No5.