Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu vs. Tristesse (Etude Op.10 No. 3)?

[arianareid]

I've always wanted to learn these two pieces. Which one is more challenging? And which is more impressive in a college audition? Which one do you think I should learn? Thank you!

[j_menz]

Neither are particularly good as a college audition.  10(3) is not acceptable as the etude component for many colleges.

By all means, learn both for your own edification - they are pretty much on par in terms of challenges.

You could always do the Godowsky Left Hand study on 10(3) for auditions, though that's quite another level entirely.

[classicalnhiphop]

Oh please do not use these in college auditions.  If you must, do the etude, FI is soooo overplayed.  A better etude for college auditions would be opus 25 no 11, or opus 25 no 6, those are challenging ones.  Or you could do liszt ones.  Essentially, any of them will suffice for college auditions.  The harder ones are TE 4,5,8,10,12, la campanella and paganini etude 6

[cometear]

I personally like the Tristesse better. Neither are good for an audition though.

[ale_ius]

Unless the school states op10 n3 is unacceptable I wouldn't worry. Play what you like and are passionate about most, they want to see original creativity and potential for musical growth along with technical aptitude to handle demands of program .  Saying the étude is not a fine choice is rubbish .

I would suggest however learning two and listing both and letting them hear both or have them choose which they would like or perhaps they may have you play part of one in addition to a full other .  When in doubt ASK THE SCHOOL

-am

[chicoscalco]

Unless the school states op10 n3 is unacceptable I wouldn't worry. Play what you like and are passionate about most, they want to see original creativity and potential for musical growth along with technical aptitude to handle demands of program .  Saying the étude is not a fine choice is rubbish .

I would suggest however learning two and listing both and letting them hear both or have them choose which they would like or perhaps they may have you play part of one in addition to a full other .  When in doubt ASK THE SCHOOL

-am

Do you really think that the fact that these are two of the most overplayed pieces in the piano repertoire doesn't count at all? In the end, we have to please the judges... And unless you play these pieces a lot better than the thousands of students that play them for the judges do, pick something else... expand your horizons! That also count when getting inside a school.

[ale_ius]

Do you really think that the fact that these are two of the most overplayed pieces in the piano repertoire doesn't count at all? In the end, we have to please the judges... And unless you play these pieces a lot better than the thousands of students that play them for the judges do, pick something else... expand your horizons! That also count when getting inside a school.

I stand by my statements as someone who successfully auditioned with common works from the standard literature and subsequently graduated with very successful juries and performances and recital with the "overplayed".   There is a time and place to get bold with piece choice.  I did no say less common works are not a good choice just that if the op is passionate about them then thy should play that over something they may not like as much. I would rather hear a zealous and enlivened performance of something the pianist is crazy about than a bland less common work even if I've heard the pianists choice more times than I care.

The faculty panel are (at least they should be) functioning more as jury-judge with a assessment heavy on how good a fit the student is for the program, not as a competition judge.

You can have your opinion but just saying the piece is not a good audition choice is a joke as people successfully audition with standards all the time.  Again when in doubt consult the school.

Thanks for your reply though as it is always good to have cordial discussion on differences opinion.

-Alee Marie

[j_menz]

I would rather hear a zealous and enlivened performance of something the pianist is crazy about than a bland less common work even if I've heard the pianists choice more times than I care.

The faculty panel are (at least they should be) functioning more as jury-judge with a assessment heavy on how good a fit the student is for the program, not as a competition judge.

I agree entirely.

That said, a more common piece makes it easier for the panel to assess your skillset. That is hopefully a good thing. 

More obscure choices make their job more difficult. If you have a particular desire to play a piece, that shouldn't stop you, but there is no reason to go obscure just for the heck of it.

10/3 is not a good choice, though, only because it will not be allowable for some schools, meaning you'd have to learn another Etude anyway.

FI is probably not a good choice because it is seen as a piece that is not as difficult as it sounds, so gives an undesirable impression. Of course, if you can pull off a stunning performance, go for it - but an ordinary one will count against you.