What Piano Concerto should I play?

[enochy]

I consider myself a very advanced intermediate or low to middle advanced level.

-I can play Turkish March with insane ease and variate/transpose it to my own taste.
-I can play the Chopin Etude Op 25 No 11 (Winter Wind), but I haven't mastered it yet. (Dem arm cramps(It's harder than you think))
-I can play the Chopin Etude Op 10 No 12 pretty good.
-I can play Ginastera (I forgot the name of the piece) easily.
-I can play Polonaise Military easily.
-I can make my own extremely difficult version of fur elise. (Might upload a video soon )

I'm sort of leaning towards Rachmaninoff 2nd (I wanted to play the 3rd but I'm only 13 and that thing is crazy hard).
I'm also considering Tchaikovsky 1st.

I honestly do not want to play any concertos 'designed for children' or anything similar.
Give me suggestions AND tell me if I can play these pieces.
Thanks!

[perprocrastinate]

Oh boy, this is not going to end well.

[j_menz]

Oh boy, this is not going to end well.

Ya think? 

[enochy]

Ya think? 

Saw the other threads. I think you're right.

[mjames]

I consider myself a very advanced intermediate or low to middle advanced level.

-I can play Turkish March with insane ease and variate/transpose it to my own taste.
-I can play the Chopin Etude Op 25 No 11 (Winter Wind), but I haven't mastered it yet. (Dem arm cramps(It's harder than you think))
-I can play the Chopin Etude Op 10 No 12 pretty good.
-I can play Ginastera (I forgot the name of the piece) easily.
-I can play Polonaise Military easily.
-I can make my own extremely difficult version of fur elise. (Might upload a video soon )

I'm sort of leaning towards Rachmaninoff 2nd (I wanted to play the 3rd but I'm only 13 and that thing is crazy hard).
I'm also considering Tchaikovsky 1st.

I honestly do not want to play any concertos 'designed for children' or anything similar.
Give me suggestions AND tell me if I can play these pieces.
Thanks!

If you're trying to be funny, then I'm sorry to say this, you're not.
If you're being serious, post of video so that your claims can be validated. Until then, I don't think anyone in here is going to take your word for it.

[cometear]

My God... You must be joking.

[enochy]

Everybody thinks I'm joking? I wonder why. Posting these videos pretty soon.
I gotta finish learning the Winter Wind first but I'll post it anyway.
I have to learn a new concerto anyway, I have a competition coming up.

If no one is willing to actually give me suggestions, I'll just use pick blindly.
I'm not here to get responses other than suggestions.

[ale_ius]

-A.M.

[chicoscalco]

I don't want to sound rude, I'm just asking this out of curiosity. Are you a troll?

[cometear]

Ok maybe I can make a suggestion but first I must set things straight. You are crazy if you so much as consider playing the Rach 3. That "thing" is not just crazy hard, but it is one of the most difficult "things" in the common repertoire. You would destroy your technique and probably worse. You'd never get close to starting the piece before getting discouraged. That's first.

The Tchaikovsky and Rach 2 are still way out of your reach. You have no experience in playing a concerto and you are wanting to play some significantly complex pieces. I still don't understand how you're not joking. What does your teacher say about this?

I will give you my recommendations after I hear a recording.

[chopinrabbitthing]

Hey,
Sounds pretty impressive, even thoughI really haven't heard you play...
It's almost impossible to tell you if you can play something or not.
Have you played any concerti before? Concerti are pretty different from solo pieces, there's some other kind of technique that you kinda have to learn, in my opinion.

TBH, there aren't a lot of concerti "designed for children", just some easier ones...also just remember at 13 you are technically a child. I'm gonna be really honest and say that Rach 3 and the Tchaikovsky aren't really for you yet, neither is Rachmaninoff's 2nd. I mean Rach 2 is a bit more on a "human" level in terms of technique but they're about as difficult musically.

You're probably not gonna like this, but I am gonna suggest a Mozart concerto..maybe the D minor? Or Beethoven, any of the 5. Grieg and Schumann are also definitely in your reach, but learning a Classical concerto would serve as a good foundation, especially if you're gonna play with an accompaniment at some stage.

Also, as a friendly reminder: although you're young and quite skilled as you say, be a bit more modest...you have tons to learn and it really isn't "going to end well" if you carry on like this. No offence, but you're sounding off like a bit of a douchebag to me...

[chicoscalco]

Hey,
Sounds pretty impressive, even thoughI really haven't heard you play...
It's almost impossible to tell you if you can play something or not.
Have you played any concerti before? Concerti are pretty different from solo pieces, there's some other kind of technique that you kinda have to learn, in my opinion.

TBH, there aren't a lot of concerti "designed for children", just some easier ones...also just remember at 13 you are technically a child. I'm gonna be really honest and say that Rach 3 and the Tchaikovsky aren't really for you yet, neither is Rachmaninoff's 2nd. I mean Rach 2 is a bit more on a "human" level in terms of technique but they're about as difficult musically.

You're probably not gonna like this, but I am gonna suggest a Mozart concerto..maybe the D minor? Or Beethoven, any of the 5. Grieg and Schumann are also definitely in your reach, but learning a Classical concerto would serve as a good foundation, especially if you're gonna play with an accompaniment at some stage.

Also, as a friendly reminder: although you're young and quite skilled as you say, be a bit more modest...you have tons to learn and it really isn't "going to end well" if you carry on like this. No offence, but you're sounding off like a bit of a douchebag to me...

Since we noticed he's a troll, let's get off topic, shall we? 
Some say Rach 2nd is even more difficult. Rachmaninoff himself said his 2nd concerto was his hardest because it was so very "awkward".
And how can you say Grieg and Schumman are in his reach if you haven't heard him play? 

[chopinrabbitthing]

I don't think he's necessarily a troll :L
That may be true about the Rach 2, but it does kinda sound easier than No.3 (I haven't played either btw)
I was just assuming that Grieg and Schumann would be easy enough, judging by what he said...I personally feel that they aren't TOO difficult musically

[cometear]

I was just assuming that Grieg and Schumann would be easy enough, judging by what he said...I personally feel that they aren't TOO difficult musically

I believe everything is equally difficult musically. You must put an equal amount of musical effort in every piece.

[gregh]

I'm not here to get responses other than suggestions.

That's not up to you. This is the internet.

[cometear]

That's not up to you. This is the internet.

LOL so funny!

[enochy]

I don't want to sound rude, I'm just asking this out of curiosity. Are you a troll?

I'm not.

Thank you for those people that actually gave me suggestions.

That's not up to you. This is the internet.

I understand that. But I never forced you to give suggestions. I just simply stated 'I'm not here to get responses other than suggestions.'
I never made a request.

I forgot to add one vital information.
I only need to play one movement.

The Rach 2nd 2nd movement seems moderately okay.
Rach 2nd 1st movement is possible but a challenge.
Rach 2nd 3rd movement, I won't attempt just yet.

Rach 3rd, I'm not going to start on it.
I didn't see the sheet music at first, it just sounded good.
Here's an understatement for ya, it is hard.

Tchaikovsky out of my reach? Hm.... I played (as in sightread) and it wasn't too difficult. Of course I only read the 1st movement.

[chicoscalco]

Can I ask out of curiosity how old are you?

[enochy]

13 but biological age is the worst way to judge.

Can I ask out of curiosity how old are you?

[cometear]

13 but biological age is the worst way to judge.

Surprisingly, I agree with you. A better question would be how long have you been playing?

[enochy]

Surprisingly, I agree with you. A better question would be how long have you been playing?

Since I was 4. So approximately 9 years.

[chopinrabbitthing]

I forgot to add one vital information.
I only need to play one movement.

The Rach 2nd 2nd movement seems moderately okay.
Rach 2nd 1st movement is possible but a challenge.
Rach 2nd 3rd movement, I won't attempt just yet.

Rach 3rd, I'm not going to start on it.
I didn't see the sheet music at first, it just sounded good.
Here's an understatement for ya, it is hard.

Tchaikovsky out of my reach? Hm.... I played (as in sightread) and it wasn't too difficult. Of course I only read the 1st movement.

Are you planning to play the movement for competitions?
To be honest if you're just gonna work with one movement I think Rach 2 is alright for you. Tchaikovsky may not be technically out of your reach, but seriously I do think the 1st movement is a bit overboard musically, especially if you've never played anything so long.
It really depends on what you like. Whether you can play it, or play it well is another story. You should ask your teacher what they think.

[cometear]

Since I was 4. So approximately 9 years.

And you've never done a concerto?

[chicoscalco]

Guys you really think Rach 2nd as his first concerto is ok? Why the rush with repertoire...
Go make some Mozart concerto beautiful, instead of rushing through this one.

And although age is not the best measurement ( I know since I'm not that older than you are), 13 is still very young. Your hand span isn't even fully developed yet. How do you think you are going to manage the writing in his 2nd concerto, if even the composer himself ( who could reach a 13th) thought it was "very awkward"?
I would strongly suggest a Mozart concerto, or a haydn concerto, before tackling the romantic concerto literature. But there are others out there.

[enochy]

And you've never done a concerto?

I played the Tchaikovsky 1st concerto, the first movement of course. It was a long summer and I felt bored. It was a fun challenge.

Guys you really think Rach 2nd as his first concerto is ok? Why the rush with repertoire...
Go make some Mozart concerto beautiful, instead of rushing through this one.

And although age is not the best measurement ( I know since I'm not that older than you are), 13 is still very young. Your hand span isn't even fully developed yet. How do you think you are going to manage the writing in his 2nd concerto, if even the composer himself ( who could reach a 13th) thought it was "very awkward"?
I would strongly suggest a Mozart concerto, or a haydn concerto, before tackling the romantic concerto literature. But there are others out there.

I could reach a 12th. If there's a really big chord, you could just roll your hands.
I'm specifically looking for a romantic concerto. Something from 1820-1900.

Are you planning to play the movement for competitions?
To be honest if you're just gonna work with one movement I think Rach 2 is alright for you. Tchaikovsky may not be technically out of your reach, but seriously I do think the 1st movement is a bit overboard musically, especially if you've never played anything so long.
It really depends on what you like. Whether you can play it, or play it well is another story. You should ask your teacher what they think.

I'll see my teacher next week. I missed 2 weeks of piano lesson. I had a strings concert coming up and I had to practice the violin.

[awesom_o]

You're 13 years old and you can reach a 12th?

What are you, seven feet tall?

Great to hear you are also a violinist!

Are your skills on both instruments equal?

[enochy]

You're 13 years old and you can reach a 12th?

What are you, seven feet tall?

Great to hear you are also a violinist!

Are your skills on both instruments equal?

No, I'm double jointed, have extremely flexible fingers.  


I really don't like the violin as much as I like on the piano. Because of my lack of motivation I do better on piano. See, the violin is harder to actually get it perfect but the pieces are a tiny bit easier to play than the piano.

[awesom_o]

I think violin is a much better instrument to play a concerto on, personally.

I agree with you that string instruments are harder to play physically, but piano music is more complex.

You should develop a system whereby your piano playing can motivate your violin playing and your violin playing can motivate your piano playing!

If you can really make a beautiful sound on both instruments, you will go far!

[thalbergmad]

To suggest a Rachmaninov concerto as the first concerto for a 13 year old is moronic. You should be kept away from it, as it is impossible to express until you have lived, loved and lost.
One does not have Rachmaninov as a first solo piece, so he should not be considered as a first concerto.

The craft of playing a concerto needs a foundation before you start trying to build skyscrapers, so Mozart, Clementi, Schobert, J C Bach, Stamitz, Haydn and about a 1,000 other early classics should be played before attempting anything else.

Thal

[dima_76557]

To suggest a Rachmaninov concerto as the first concerto for a 13 year old is moronic. You should be kept away from it, as it is impossible to express until you have lived, loved and lost.

Molto espressivo! I like that very much. 5+ (= outstanding).

[thalbergmad]

Have I said something sensible for once??

Thal

[dima_76557]

Have I said something sensible for once??

Thal

I liked the farting thing in the other thread too. 5+

[chicoscalco]

To suggest a Rachmaninov concerto as the first concerto for a 13 year old is moronic. You should be kept away from it, as it is impossible to express until you have lived, loved and lost.
One does not have Rachmaninov as a first solo piece, so he should not be considered as a first concerto.

The craft of playing a concerto needs a foundation before you start trying to build skyscrapers, so Mozart, Clementi, Schobert, J C Bach, Stamitz, Haydn and about a 1,000 other early classics should be played before attempting anything else.

Thal

+1

[ale_ius]

may I suggest....

"Piano Concerto No. 3 (Kabalevsky)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Piano Concerto No. 3 in D major, Op. 50 (subtitled Youth) by Russian composer Dmitri Kabalevsky is one of three concertos (the others are for violin and cello) written for and dedicated to young performers within the Soviet Union in 1952, and is sometimes performed as a student's first piano concerto. This sunny and tuneful piece manages to combine effective apparent pianistic pyrotechnics whilst keeping it within the range of ability of a keen student.
The piece has three movements:
I. Allegro molto
II. Andante con moto
III. Presto
The opening movement begins with a dramatic trumpet fanfare, followed by swirling piano writing that has a touch of the great piano concertos of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. There is a central dramatic cadenza before the opening theme returns, the movement ending with the same short fanfare.
The second movement begins in G minor in a far more austere style, using pizzicato string notes over which a melody is played in octaves on the piano. There is a shimmering central section at a faster tempo that moves through various major keys before the opening minor theme is restated, but this time with a forte from the full orchestra. The opening quiet atmosphere eventually returns at the end of this movement.
The final movement starts at breakneck speed, which is only briefly interrupted in the middle by a little march. Just before the end a sweeping romantic melody first heard in the first movement is played at full volume before the concerto ends with a prestissimo coda.
The work shares themes in common with Kabalevsky's Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra, op.75, on the theme of the song "School Years""

 

for one of the best recordings see:

[cometear]

may I suggest....

"Piano Concerto No. 3 (Kabalevsky)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Piano Concerto No. 3 in D major, Op. 50 (subtitled Youth) by Russian composer Dmitri Kabalevsky is one of three concertos (the others are for violin and cello) written for and dedicated to young performers within the Soviet Union in 1952, and is sometimes performed as a student's first piano concerto. This sunny and tuneful piece manages to combine effective apparent pianistic pyrotechnics whilst keeping it within the range of ability of a keen student.
The piece has three movements:
I. Allegro molto
II. Andante con moto
III. Presto
The opening movement begins with a dramatic trumpet fanfare, followed by swirling piano writing that has a touch of the great piano concertos of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. There is a central dramatic cadenza before the opening theme returns, the movement ending with the same short fanfare.
The second movement begins in G minor in a far more austere style, using pizzicato string notes over which a melody is played in octaves on the piano. There is a shimmering central section at a faster tempo that moves through various major keys before the opening minor theme is restated, but this time with a forte from the full orchestra. The opening quiet atmosphere eventually returns at the end of this movement.
The final movement starts at breakneck speed, which is only briefly interrupted in the middle by a little march. Just before the end a sweeping romantic melody first heard in the first movement is played at full volume before the concerto ends with a prestissimo coda.
The work shares themes in common with Kabalevsky's Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra, op.75, on the theme of the song "School Years""

 

for one of the best recordings see:

For some reason he says he won't do concerti "designed for children."

[visitor]

For some reason he says he won't do concerti "designed for children."

obviously he must be a better pianist than Emil...

Arrogant turd. It is an exceedingly fine concerto . Enough that this master saw it fit enough to give its definitive performance . 

Not an easy work . It would take a gifted student some very hard work.  One of my favorite of ALL concertos.

[enochy]

For some reason he says he won't do concerti "designed for children."

argh. because the rule tells me that it's not allowed.

[chicoscalco]

argh. because the rule tells me that it's not allowed.

What rule?? 

[enochy]

I must play 3 pieces from different time periods (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Etc)
I must play 1 movement of a concerto (No transcriptions, arrangements, and particularly none that is designed for children, etc) <-- can't exactly remember how my teacher worded it.
And finally, I have to memorize it. I have plenty of time, till 2016. Trying to get it done by 2015 though.

[chicoscalco]

I must play 3 pieces from different time periods (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Etc)
I must play 1 movement of a concerto (No transcriptions, arrangements, and particularly none that is designed for children, etc) <-- can't exactly remember how my teacher worded it.
And finally, I have to memorize it. I have plenty of time, till 2016. Trying to get it done by 2015 though.

You never mentioned that... There's a lot of discrepancy in your posts. Are there any other conditions that you haven't told us yet? If not, I'd still lean toward Haydn, Mozart, and as someone said here, Bach. Don't get fooled OP, the concertos by these composers are some of the most beautiful ones out there. 

[cometear]

You never mentioned that... There's a lot of discrepancy in your posts. Are there any other conditions that you haven't told us yet? If not, I'd still lean toward Haydn, Mozart, and as someone said here, Bach. Don't get fooled OP, the concertos by these composers are some of the most beautiful ones out there. 

I agree with chicoscalo. I am working on the Haydn PC for a few reasons. It is, in my opinion, the greatest place to start with the concerto repertoire. It can be mastered and it is very beautiful (especially the 2nd movement). My recommendation would be to contact the competition and find a more specific explanation of the guidelines. All youth competitions should take every concerto seriously regardless of the composer or era. If the Kabalevsky isn't sufficient I would HIGHLY recommend an entire Haydn keyboard concerti (all 3 movements) or maybe a movement of a Mozart would be good enough. I wish you the best of luck!

[enochy]

Thanks for these responses! Any particular pieces you recommend?

[chopinrabbitthing]

Thanks for these responses! Any particular pieces you recommend?

If you're happy enough, I'd definitely recommend Haydn's D major, or any Mozart. I loved the Haydn

[awesom_o]

I believe everything is equally difficult musically. You must put an equal amount of musical effort in every piece.

Wise words from the young Taubmanite!

[chopinfrederic]

No, he's not trollin'. He's just trying to know something. Btw Military Polonaise is a very advanced piece, can you please record it?

[classicalnhiphop]

please do rachmaninoff's third concerto.
too many people play it when they aren't ready, and to be quite honest, you are one of the few people who seems to have the talent to play it.  Go for it!
just kidding, you've got an ego the size of rachmaninoff

[mojtas]

I say Rachmaninoff no 2! But only because I like it, I have no idea if it's suitable for you or not

I suppose nothing real can be said about this until he posts some recordings but why so negative about it? If he is can play such advanced pieces it would be a waste not to do it, not every 13 year old can. If he is to young to express the emotions then maybe it won't sound perfect now, but it won't ruin it in the future. Sometimes it's just to take on a challenge.

Also, an ego like Rachmaninoff sounds like a good thing Good luck!

[classicalnhiphop]

i was referring to the physical size of rachmaninoff

[coda_colossale]

Maestro was a self-criticizing fella, and definitely not egoist, but perhaps a little oversensitive and angry.

[arnost123456789]

Once, some guy asked me (on internet ) If he can play Rachmaninoff piano concerto 2 ,though he never played piano before. Maybe it was you