Curtis Piano auditions

[angelakom]

Im planning on auditioning for curtis next year and Im currently working on my repertoire. Im 14 and have played piano for 10 years.  i know curtis is a hard school to get in, but its worth a try. My curent songs right now are:

Bach: unknown.
Sonata in e minor,no.27, op.90 by Beethoven
Nocturne in D flat major op.27 by Chopin
Étude no.5, op.10 by Chopin
Solo work: Im working on Lizst's Hungarian Rhapsody no. 8 but it's not 10 minutes long so I still have to decide on one.

I havent won many big competitions, only local ones not national ones, but I truly do wanna become a concert pianist. If you guys could give some tips and advice thatd be great.
Thanks!

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Late beethoven sonatas are a nono and so are chopin nocturnes.

[wwalrus]

Late beethoven sonatas are a nono and so are chopin nocturnes.

Out of curiosity, why?

[angelakom]

Out of curiosity, why?

Yes I agree. Is there a particular reason?

[cabbynum]

Because the general thinking is that a young pianist is not ready for late Beethoven. And it's looked down upon for a young pianist to play such mature works.

Nocturnes are generally considered too easy for auditions in the conservatoire level. If the school specifically asks for a piece such as the Chopin nocturnes then that is an excellent choice. It's not about difficulty, it's about go well you play it.
I suggest a much earlier beethoven sonata because you at 14 are not ready emotionally or mentally for that kind of piece. Atleast not for auditions, but do as you like on your own. It will also be looked down upon by the committee of judges.

Take a look at the Ab major sonata I believe it's op.26... It's a great work.

[angelakom]

if the conservatory's requirements are that the repertoire consists of a slow and fast work by Chopin, wouldn't the nocturne be considered a slow one.

[angelakom]

Because the general thinking is that a young pianist is not ready for late Beethoven. And it's looked down upon for a young pianist to play such mature works.

Nocturnes are generally considered too easy for auditions in the conservatoire level. If the school specifically asks for a piece such as the Chopin nocturnes then that is an excellent choice. It's not about difficulty, it's about go well you play it.
I suggest a much earlier beethoven sonata because you at 14 are not ready emotionally or mentally for that kind of piece. Atleast not for auditions, but do as you like on your own. It will also be looked down upon by the committee of judges.

Take a look at the Ab major sonata I believe it's op.26... It's a great work.

Thanks for the recommendation! I might give it a try, but my teacher did give me that particular sonata, but I might give the Ab major one a try. If i do play the sonata im working on right now, will it lower my chances?

[theholygideons]

if the conservatory's requirements are that the repertoire consists of a slow and fast work by Chopin, wouldn't the nocturne be considered a slow one.

You cannot be considered a pianist if you don't play Chopin's Mazurkas.

[angelakom]

You cannot be considered a pianist if you don't play Chopin's Mazurkas.

oh ok thanks!

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Because the general thinking is that a young pianist is not ready for late Beethoven. And it's looked down upon for a young pianist to play such mature works.

Nocturnes are generally considered too easy for auditions in the conservatoire level. If the school specifically asks for a piece such as the Chopin nocturnes then that is an excellent choice. It's not about difficulty, it's about go well you play it.
I suggest a much earlier beethoven sonata because you at 14 are not ready emotionally or mentally for that kind of piece. Atleast not for auditions, but do as you like on your own. It will also be looked down upon by the committee of judges.

Take a look at the Ab major sonata I believe it's op.26... It's a great work.

Ah thanks for covering me I was out all day.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

if the conservatory's requirements are that the repertoire consists of a slow and fast work by Chopin, wouldn't the nocturne be considered a slow one.

I've seen some schools specifically say NO NOCTURNES on their audition page. 

I don't exactly know why, but I'm assuming it's the reason Cabbynum said.

And late Beethoven sonatas are definitely a nono.  Any college professor will tell you that.

  As well as Mozart A minor sonta, Chopin etude op 10 no 12, the moonlight sonata, and the pathetique sonata (oops).   . But those are because they're way overplayed.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Thanks for the recommendation! I might give it a try, but my teacher did give me that particular sonata, but I might give the Ab major one a try. If i do play the sonata im working on right now, will it lower my chances?

At the end of the day what matters is how well you play it. 

You could have a fantastic audition repertoire but suck at playing it, and you could have a shifty audition repertoire but play it really well. 

Ideally you want a fantastic audition repertoire AND play it well.

[pianoman1349]

For your audition, the nocturne will be fine, same as the etude. 

I agree that late Beethoven does not typically show well on younger pianists.  That being said, late Beethoven played WELL and with MATURITY does show very well and is very impressive to listen to, especially by a young pianist.  From a musical standpoint, Op. 90 can almost be considered a transitional sonata between Beethoven's late and middle styles. Many young pianists can play this sonata well, as it does not require a much musical maturity in the interpretation.  The first movement is impressive, and the lyrical second movement is heavenly (literally and figuratively) when done right.

As a side note, I do know of some people who have applied to Curtis (I don't know if they were accepted, but they ended receiving "better" offers from other major schools and went there instead.  I think your program may be a little bit on the "easy" side, considering that Curtis does not have a pre-college program and you will be competing for acceptance with college students.  Most of my friends who have applied played works such as Beethoven's appassionata, Ravel La Valse, Chopin Ballade No 1, Kapustin Etudes ...etc for their audition.  I am not sure how your program will hold up to these more "heavy-weight" programs.

Best of luck

[cabbynum]

I've seen some schools specifically say NO NOCTURNES on their audition page. 

I don't exactly know why, but I'm assuming it's the reason Cabbynum said.
.

The basic answer i got from some conservatoire professors is that it is simply not a large enough piece to show what is needed. unless the school asks for a slow piece. Thats why I am not using op.48 no.1 as an audition piece because its easy in the grand scheme of things and not a large enough piece for an audition to conservatoire when other students will be playing ballades or scherzi.

I honestly dont think its a great idea to apply to curtis just yet. Whats the rush?

[j_menz]

if the conservatory's requirements are that the repertoire consists of a slow and fast work by Chopin, wouldn't the nocturne be considered a slow one.

Yes.

Curtis specifically requires a slow Chopin work. IMO, that is quite sensible of them (no doubt they'll be gratified to know that).

Other posters should perhaps acquaint themselves with the stated requirements before commenting.