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Topic: Little help  (Read 1380 times)

Offline maras_osk

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Little help
on: March 10, 2014, 08:34:26 PM
Hey all. I've registered here years ago, but never really went active. I've just been reading posts trying to find some advice to my problems. I'm 2nd year student of piano performance at Croatian academy.

Anyways, I'm facing a problem with my repertoire. I've just realized I have so much to practice that I fear I won't be able to make it in time.

First, let me list all I'm practicing and should practice within next 6 months.

Solo repertoire:
Bach: B flat minor Prelude and fugue, WTK I
Beethoven: Sonata in d minor, op. 31 no. 2
Liszt: Transcendental etude no. 7
Chopin: Etude G flat major from op. 25, can't remember the number
Debussy: Pour le piano
Brahms: Scherzo in e flat minor, op. 4
Some easy piece of croatian composer

Chamber music:
one of Bachs, Christian Bach: Piano duet in F major
Rachmaninoff: Six duets for piano four-hand (complete, about 30 minutes, luckily I'm secondo, but we still have to practice)
Brahms: Piano quartet in c minor, op. 60 (possibly complete)
Mahler: Piano quartet in a minor
Reinecke: Piano trio in a minor (oboe, horn)
Glinka: Piano trio in d minor

From solo repertoire, I need to memorize everything besides Beethoven and finish reading Liszt and Brahms. Exam will be in the middle of June.
From chamber music, piano duo exam will be by the end of May. The rest of chamber music will have to be done by the end of July ready for performances. Probably not complete, but at least two movements each.

I really need help with organization... I don't know how am I supposed to practice such huge repertoire unless I'm practicing 12+ hours a day...

Thanks :D

Offline awesom_o

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Re: Little help
Reply #1 on: March 11, 2014, 02:02:53 AM
Don't underestimate the chamber music!

Especially the Secondo parts. I play a ton of Secondo parts and trust me, you don't want to underestimate them!

The Etude is no. 9 in Gb major from op. 25. Also don't underestimate this one. It's a real piece of work, even though it is very short!

That's a huge amount of chamber music. Do you have to play the complete Quartet and Trios or just the first movements?

I'm hoping you are quite a fast learner and comfortable playing chamber music with the score in front of you, and are not dependent upon memorizing your repertoire in order to feel comfortable playing in public!

Offline maras_osk

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Re: Little help
Reply #2 on: March 11, 2014, 11:37:16 AM
Don't worry, I'm not underestimating anything. Rach secondo isn't technically difficult but making right tone and basically counting beats while holding chords.

I'm not good at sightreading, but it doesn't take much for me to read a piece. And when playing chamber music or accompaniement, I need to play it once or twice with someonee to be sure in what I'm playing.

I hope I can read as much as I can, but I've played Glinka trio before so I just need to go through it a couple times. But first  movements are a must

Offline awesom_o

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Re: Little help
Reply #3 on: March 11, 2014, 02:12:31 PM
Sounds like you have the situation somewhat under control!

I was going to say, it's very important for the secondo player to count, even when the part seems simple!

What part of the program are you most concerned about?

Which of the solo pieces are new for you and which have you played before?

Offline maras_osk

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Re: Little help
Reply #4 on: March 11, 2014, 08:15:17 PM
I only have sonata memorized, Toccata and most of Prelude from Pour le piano. I've finished reading Bach. I have yet to read last page of Liszt Heroic and practice those frustrating octaves. While reading, I got most of it memorized. I just started reading Brahms this weekend and I have yet to really go through Trio II... So I have a lot of work ahead of me.

Concerning duets (or duos, I never know), I have them under my fingers, we just need to polish the details with professor.

And then there are trios and quartets... I played Glinka in high school, so I'll just go over 3rd and 4th mvt to have them prepared. Brahms is still a mystery to me.. I went through 1st mvt when I was bored once but never really had time or patience after solo repertoire to really dig in. And concerning Reinecke, I am supposed to meet with players this weekend to try 1st mvt for the first time...

I just wish to know how to do quality job on both sides of repertoire without burning out or something... Or should I keep them off the grid, except once or twice a week, until exam in June passes since I'm supposed to practically play a recital at the exam (Bach, etude, sonata, Brahms or Debussy and native composer)?

Btw, have you played this Rachmaninoff? It's amazingly beautiful :D

Offline ignaceii

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Re: Little help
Reply #5 on: March 11, 2014, 09:28:23 PM
Just saying that this is beyond many pianists skills.
It's quite impressive ok, but for a students corner. Pianoworld.com has perhaps too many forums.
But the students corner could be indented into : beginners, advanced, performance.
This would avoid cluttering of all sort of difficulties on different levels.
For more information about this topic, click search below!

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The great early 20th-century composer Alexander Scriabin left us 74 published opuses, and several unpublished manuscripts, mainly from his teenage years – when he would never go to bed without first putting a copy of Chopin’s music under his pillow. All of these scores (220 pieces in total) can now be found on Piano Street’s Scriabin page. Read more
 

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