Learning pieces in a short period of time

[transcendental]

Hello everyone! Do you have any experiences of learning an entire concerto in say 2 months or so before the performance? Sometimes we are put in these positions as we only get late notice about a performance opportunity. What tips do you have for learning a difficult work in a short period of time?

[avanchnzel]

I can't speak for concertos as I haven't tried learning one in that amount of time yet. I have learnt sonatas in that time however, and for shorter pieces I sometimes even take it up one week before the recital.

[stevensk]

If its to short of time, I say no. If not, I go home and practicing 

[vaniii]

Martha Argerich expressed in an interview with Charles Groves that she learned Tchiakovsky's piano concerto in one week, then performed it. She said that many people assume wrongly that "we" spend all our time playing certain pieces  for years since birth to perform them.

I cannot speak for you, but if you have a sound technique and confidence in your ability it would be possible. The problems I encounter with such engagements is not, getting the music out, but the confidence and concentration involved.

Many factors can impacted my ability in these situations but most of all, my ability to commit to an engagement with adequate time to rehearse. If the concerto is already in my repertiore, then it would mean picking it up and refreshing it. If it is not, requiring new learning, I would decline, if only for the expectation from the others involved.

If it is a new composition that uses existing techniques, I would be happy with two months; it is a new work never been heard before, and so, my interpretation would be a first performance. If it is Mozart's No X or Beethoven No X or any Chopin, I would decline as the piece itself is so we'll know, the audience would expect somthing standard or magical, which two months of new learning would not deliver.

The environment would also have an impact. Booked by the local orchestra as soloist, 2 months would not be okay unless it was in my repertiore. Local school project would be happy that I played with them. If it was a minor engagement with the London Symphony orchestra, I would decline unless it was a concerto actively in my repertiore.

The point is, weigh up your options and get out before you overload yourself with an expectation you cannot deliver on, there will be other opportunities if you are a young professional, this might be a disaster not easily redeemed. if it is an amatuer affair, use it to learn your craft.

Hope that helps you.

Edit: I typed Rosen when I meant Groves

[visitor]

If the performance is 8 weeks away, then you dont have 2 months to learn it. You have about 3 to 5 weeks tops. Last 2to 3 or so weeks [generally the minimum] are spent in rehearsal with the conductor and ensemble and or w piano ii if playing a reduction.

If you dont have the developed skill set and experience ie proven track record ,with learning and putting together ensemble quickky and also memorizing  in a matter of days to a week, is say its a recipe for disaster

As for tips, refuse. Plain and simple.
i have learned to now allow myself to be in those situations by removing myself from the list of people that will allow that type of punishment.

[louispodesta]

If the performance is 8 weeks away, then you dont have 2 months to learn it. You have about 3 to 5 weeks tops. Last 2to 3 or so weeks [generally the minimum] are spent in rehearsal with the conductor and ensemble and or w piano ii if playing a reduction.

If you dont have the developed skill set and experience ie proven track record ,with learning and putting together ensemble quickky and also memorizing  in a matter of days to a week, is say its a recipe for disaster

As for tips, refuse. Plain and simple.
i have learned to now allow myself to be in those situations by removing myself from the list of people that will allow that type of punishment.

1)  Oh gosh, if you keep using words like "punishment," you had better start posting under my name.

2)  Are there pianists out there who can do this, and have done this?  Of course, there are.  But!

3)  Does the OP fall into that category?  If they did, they would not even be broaching the subject.

4)  I once interviewed (in my own living room) a candidate for a concerto performance of the Ravel G Major Concerto to perform with a new orchestra I was putting together.  Later on, I found out that he had never even learned the notes to this work.

However, I also learned that he had the ability to learn the Scarbo (for performance) of the Ravel "Gaspar de la nuit" in two weeks!  Next, I discovered (within my own earshot because we were practicing in the same studios), that he learned the Liszt Sonata in four weeks, which was later presented in competition performance.

5)  Further, there is a university music school in the USA that requires all of their DMA piano students to learn and perform a piano concerto in 90 days, as part of their matriculation.

The point is:  as "Visitor" has summarized, the often promoted (Conservatory) Herculean accomplishments of certain concert artists are by no means applicable to even the most gifted students.  And, to do so, is high level "mental abuse," in my opinion.

[lostinidlewonder]

Hello everyone! Do you have any experiences of learning an entire concerto in say 2 months or so before the performance? Sometimes we are put in these positions as we only get late notice about a performance opportunity. What tips do you have for learning a difficult work in a short period of time?

The word you use "difficult" at the end of this is a problem I feel. You can't learn "difficult" pieces in short time without frustrating yourself. To learn a work quickly you need to be able to sight read through the entire work and predominantly control it at that point, a difficult work will not make this stage very easily accessible and thus your time to learn it will increase. Print out the entire work and see it in its entirety, color it in to highlight sections and patterns you see.