School Winter Concert Solo!

[ana]

hullo!  I've been asked to do a piano solo at our high school concert.  I have two pieces i can prepare in such short notice:  Mvt. 1 of the Moonlight Sonata....which everyone's son and daughter can probably say they played,  and Fantasia in C Minor by Mozart...which I don't know if the audience has the attention span for. 

do you ever worry about keeping an audience's attention?  or "impressing" them?

what should i play? 

thanks 

[jlh]

Good question.  How much time do you have?  Which one is in better shape?  Will you have a lesson before the concert?

You're talking about the Fantasy in C/c, K. 475, right? 

They're both kind of slow, so if I were you, I'd pick the one you like the best.  If you have interest in the song, it will show in your playing, and that's what the audience really wants to hear.  If you play it well, the audience will pay attention to you.

[Bob]

Play some Christmas piece that sounds jazzy and has a steady beat.  (Maximus from Gladiator says, "Win the crowd!")

Is it a true "winter" concert?  No holiday pieces or [gasp] Christmas songs?

If you're given the choice over selection, you can definitely choose a Christmas piece.  If the audience has a plain winter concert, some will be dying to hear a Christmas piece.

Keep in mind the kind of piano you're playing.  The cruddy school upright can't do much more than sound two notes clearly.

If it's a Christmas concert or holiday program, you may want to stay away from heavy classical pieces.  It would sound odd to have nearly all holiday pieces, and then the moonlight or Mozart.

If you want I can suggest a few of the Christmas piece I had in mind.  You could order them off Amazon.   Of course, Christmas is about ten days away... When is this winter concert?  January or February?

Well, disregard everything I just said if it's in Jan or Feb and is a winter concert.  Either of the two pieces you mentioned would be appropriate.  Keep the condition of the piano in mind.  If it's a standard school upright, you might want something rhythm that requires no nuances. 

(mutters to self... "I should have thought that through before writting all the.  Of course it's not a Christmas concert with xmas being 10 days away....)