Audition Repertoire

[skywalker_06]

Hi all,

I'm a freshman in high school, currently, and I would like to audition for a music school in not so distant future - should I apply and audition Junior or Senior year? My dream school is the Curtis Institute of Music (I also would love to go to either Juilliard or the IU Jacob's School of Music, but I would much rather Curtis.), and I have mostly selected the program/audition I would like to perform for them. I just wanted to make sure that it will be a good audition and performance. Most of these pieces still need learning, which is why I picked them out so early - so I have time to work on them. So, the program with the repertoire I selected is as follows (Curtis Requirements):

Complete work by J. S. Bach: Not sure - not too familiar with Bach's works, but I was thinking the Prelude and Fugue in F# Minor (WTC)

Mozart/Beethoven Sonata: Either Mozart Sonata No. 18 (D Major) or Beethoven Pathetique or Appassionata Sonata (Iffy about these as I'm worried they're too overplayed and wouldn't be super unique or wouldn't stand out enough)

Chopin Fast/Slow works: Fast: Tarantella Op. 43 Slow: Nocturne in C Sharp Minor or Nocturne in C Sharp Minor or Nocturne in E Flat Major

Substantial Solo Work: Okay, I have a lot of ideas for this one, but three main, really want to do, solo pieces: (In order of how much I would like to do each piece (most to least)) 1. Prokofiev Sonata No. 6 (Difficult, I know, but I'm willing to put in the work to make it great) 2. Debussy Suite Bergamasque (Is this piece difficult enough for a Curtis Audition?) and finally, 3. Barber Piano Sonata

Please give me some feedback on whether this is a good program, what may need changing, and I am open to any and all suggestions for other pieces.

Thank You to all in advance who respond! 

[chopinlover01]

If they say "complete" work by Bach, they might be wanting more than a P&F. Usually schools specify a P&F if they want one, so consider a French/English suites.
I'd advise against the two Beethoven Sonatas you mentioned, as they're quite overplayed indeed. The Pathetique also might be lower difficulty than what they want.
The Tarantelle is quite a difficult work; if you can play it well, do so. The nocturnes, however, may need a bit of fixing. You said Nocturne in C# minor twice; which ones? There are three; Op 27/1, Op 48/1, and the posthumous one. The first two are probably okay, but the third one is played to hell and beyond. Some other nice nocturnes are 27/2 in D flat major, 55/1 in F minor.. Oh, and you also didn't specify the E flat nocturne; I'm going to guess you mean 9/2? 55/2 is a nice piece, though, and gets less attention than it deserves IMO.
GL with your audition!

[8_octaves]

[...]You said Nocturne in C# minor twice; which ones? There are three; Op 27/1, Op 48/1, and the posthumous one. [...]

Yes, the op. 48,1 c-minor is nice. But the others you mentioned, are nice, too! 

cordially, 8_oct!

[skywalker_06]

If they say "complete" work by Bach, they might be wanting more than a P&F. Usually schools specify a P&F if they want one, so consider a French/English suites.
I'd advise against the two Beethoven Sonatas you mentioned, as they're quite overplayed indeed. The Pathetique also might be lower difficulty than what they want.
The Tarantelle is quite a difficult work; if you can play it well, do so. The nocturnes, however, may need a bit of fixing. You said Nocturne in C# minor twice; which ones? There are three; Op 27/1, Op 48/1, and the posthumous one. The first two are probably okay, but the third one is played to hell and beyond. Some other nice nocturnes are 27/2 in D flat major, 55/1 in F minor.. Oh, and you also didn't specify the E flat nocturne; I'm going to guess you mean 9/2? 55/2 is a nice piece, though, and gets less attention than it deserves IMO.
GL with your audition!

Would the English Suite no. 2 in A minor be a good piece to audition with?
As for the Beethoven, I thought they were too overplayed! So should I choose a different Beethoven Sonata, one played less frequently, or is the Mozart okay?
The Nocturnes: I meant the C Sharp Minor Op. 48 No. 1 I do enjoy the 27/2 Db Major as well! And, yes, for the Eb I did mean the 9/2, but I agree the 55/2 doesn't get as much credit as it should!!

[joaosousa]

If you are willing to work hard, you could play Prokofiev's toccata in d minor, it would definitely stand out.

(she starts playing at 1 minute)

[chopinlover01]

Why do I get keys wrong with opus numbers? Damn! That's two times in the last 30 or so days...
The second English suite would be a good choice, so long as you don't go over your programme limit with a sonata and a suite! Again, check with them. If they don't want a substantial work, then play the P&F. Not to say that P&F's aren't substantial ofc, but they're looking for a shorter piece rather than a 20 minute suite on top of a sonata.

The Mozart may be fine, but some schools (sadly) don't take him seriously, so a Beethoven sonata may be preferable. I'd gravitate personally towards early Beethoven, as it is GENERALLY easier to play well, in my limited experience.

For your solo work, a sonata might not be the way to go, since you already have one (but, if you wish to put in the work, more power to you!). Many people try the Chopin Ballades, if you're up to the task (the third is gorgeous and rarely played; if you can play it well, you just might blow them away!), but stay away from the second and fourth.

As for the other Chopin, a prelude may be what you'd like for the fast, virtuosic work. Or perhaps an Etude, or polonaise (The Op 26 and Op 40 come to mind, though they're a tad long). Nocturnes also aren't the only lyrical piece of Chopin's, though they're often used the most. You could do one of the slow etudes; 10/3, 10/6, and 25/7, all of which are gorgeous pieces.

Hope this helps!

[skywalker_06]

Why do I get keys wrong with opus numbers? Damn! That's two times in the last 30 or so days...
The second English suite would be a good choice, so long as you don't go over your programme limit with a sonata and a suite! Again, check with them. If they don't want a substantial work, then play the P&F. Not to say that P&F's aren't substantial ofc, but they're looking for a shorter piece rather than a 20 minute suite on top of a sonata.

The Mozart may be fine, but some schools (sadly) don't take him seriously, so a Beethoven sonata may be preferable. I'd gravitate personally towards early Beethoven, as it is GENERALLY easier to play well, in my limited experience.

For your solo work, a sonata might not be the way to go, since you already have one (but, if you wish to put in the work, more power to you!). Many people try the Chopin Ballades, if you're up to the task (the third is gorgeous and rarely played; if you can play it well, you just might blow them away!), but stay away from the second and fourth.

As for the other Chopin, a prelude may be what you'd like for the fast, virtuosic work. Or perhaps an Etude, or polonaise (The Op 26 and Op 40 come to mind, though they're a tad long). Nocturnes also aren't the only lyrical piece of Chopin's, though they're often used the most. You could do one of the slow etudes; 10/3, 10/6, and 25/7, all of which are gorgeous pieces.

Hope this helps!

Do you have any Beethoven Sonatas off the tip of your tongue you' recommend? I was thinking possibly No. 7, No. 12, or No. 18?

Would you advise against a sonata because of the extra work, learning such a large piece, or because it may be too long for the audition and get boring/redundant after a while? I had thought about the Ballades, but I thought the first is a little overplayed, and the rest are not long enough (solo work must be no less than 10 minutes). I would love to do the Suite Bergamasque because it's about 20 minutes and I love the piece, but I'm not sure if the difficulty is high enough for what they're looking for.

[chopinlover01]

I don't know the sonata numbers, but the first is always fun to hear for me. The G major early period sonata is also fun. I think it's Opus 14?
The ballades might not fit the requirements, yeah.. Perhaps, a sonata may be better. My original reasoning is that you already have a sonata so the same form would be a bit dull.

[joaosousa]

Would the English Suite no. 2 in A minor be a good piece to audition with?
As for the Beethoven, I thought they were too overplayed! So should I choose a different Beethoven Sonata, one played less frequently, or is the Mozart okay?
The Nocturnes: I meant the C Sharp Minor Op. 48 No. 1 I do enjoy the 27/2 Db Major as well! And, yes, for the Eb I did mean the 9/2, but I agree the 55/2 doesn't get as much credit as it should!!

you could play the sonata n 7 in d major by Beethoven! Is not overplayed and it's gorgeous.

[skywalker_06]

The ballades might not fit the requirements, yeah.. Perhaps, a sonata may be better. My original reasoning is that you already have a sonata so the same form would be a bit dull.

Perhaps, a concerto then?

[chopinlover01]

Unless you can bring an entire orchestra with you, then no. Typically two piano reductions suck majorly, and I've seen only one case where it was recorded semi okay. They just want to see your piano skills. The Debussy Suite would be okay, as would the Sunken Cathedral (though that's a very virtuosic work if I remember right!). A Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody might also be fun, though those are often still on the shorter side of large scale piano works.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Look a prelude and fugue is fine.  I would pick the Appassionata over the Pathetique just because it's a better sonata.  Everything else is fine.

Don't worry about stuff being overplayed.  As long as you don't do the revolutionary étude, the moonlight sonata, and the Mozart a minor sonata you're fine.  If you play it well enough it'll stand out.

Of the pieces you listed, audition what you enjoy most.

[chopinlover01]

Or Fantasie Impromptu 

[perfect_playing]

don't do the Pathetique, way too well known .....
The Appassionata is a better choice, it's really deep musically and not so cliched.

[visitor]

pretty much  any of the Beethoven or Mozart sonatas as they are part of the standard are played often. The only real 'fringe' sonatas by LVB I can think of are the 3 Bohn sonatas. The 3rd is probably the best of the lot, the first has nice moments but not as inventive.

Here's a nice rendition of the 2nd Woo47
pianist is dear groovy M. Pletnev!

I'd consider this in leu of a Mozart, and is a good representative of classical w/ even this early, hints of where Beethoven would later go 

wiki
The Three Early Piano Sonatas, WoO 47, "Kurfürstensonaten" were composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1782 and 1783, when he was twelve and thirteen years old. Though lacking a distinct musical identity, the sonatas show a certain level of precocity and serve as a precursor to the masterworks he later produced. They are dedicated to the Elector (Kurfürst) Maximilian Frederick.[1]

Contents   
1 Overview
2 The Sonatas
2.1 No. 1 in E-flat major
2.2 No. 2 in F minor
2.3 No. 3 in D major
3 See also
4 References
5 Sources
6 External links
Overview[edit]
Like Mozart's, Beethoven's musical talent was recognized at a young age,[2] and these three sonatas give an early glimpse of the composer's abilities, as well as his boldness. Beethoven was writing in a form usually attempted by older, more mature composers[citation needed], as the sonata was a cornerstone of Classical piano literature.

The Sonatas
No. 1 in E-flat major]
Allegro cantabile
Andante
Rondo vivace
No. 2 in F minor]
Larghetto maestoso – Allegro assai
Andante
Presto
No. 3 in D major
Allegro
Menuetto – Sostenuto
Scherzando: Allegretto, ma non troppo

[pencilart3]

Some of my favorite pieces for the "substantial solo work" are:

Chopin - Ballade 3 (I'm also 15 and I've played it - it's manageable)
   

Chopin - Barcarolle Op. 60
   

Chopin - Scherzo 4 (2 is just too overplayed sorry)
   

Liszt - Gondoliera, From "Venezia Et Napoli" (Not sure if it's a "major work")
   

Brahms - Rhapsody in B minor
   

Good luck