Recital Program Help!

[ianm]

Hi there everyone! I have a recital for my degree coming up next April (a ways away) and am now trying to decide on rep. It needs to be around an hour's worth of music, and I have basically solidified the following:

Scarlatti - Sonatas in A major Kp. 24 & 208
Mozart - Concerto in B-flat major K. 595
Chopin - Ballade no. 2, op. 38

Me and my professor decided on these before I left for the summer as she felt that they adequately filled some of the gaps that I had been missing in my repertoire list, however she gave me complete freedom for the last 10-15 minutes of recital time. Based on what I have here, I am thinking I should probably play something post-1900 to balance the recital but I have NO idea what to play, I could go post-romantic, impressionistic, 20th century, or even 21st century. I don't dislike modern music (unlike half of this forum, it seems ), and think that would be a nice option, but I am open to suggestions that y'all would think would balance this program out.

Thanks,

Ian.

[vaniii]

Hi there everyone! I have a recital for my degree coming up next April (a ways away) and am now trying to decide on rep. It needs to be around an hour's worth of music, and I have basically solidified the following:

Scarlatti - Sonatas in A major Kp. 24 & 208
Mozart - Concerto in B-flat major K. 595
Chopin - Ballade no. 2, op. 38

Me and my professor decided on these before I left for the summer as she felt that they adequately filled some of the gaps that I had been missing in my repertoire list, however she gave me complete freedom for the last 10-15 minutes of recital time. Based on what I have here, I am thinking I should probably play something post-1900 to balance the recital but I have NO idea what to play, I could go post-romantic, impressionistic, 20th century, or even 21st century. I don't dislike modern music (unlike half of this forum, it seems ), and think that would be a nice option, but I am open to suggestions that y'all would think would balance this program out.

Thanks,

Ian.

In my opinion, you should explore something twentieth century.  If you go contemporary, the music will seem out of place.

A question, what ties these pieces together in your head?
^-- Key, tone, texture, historical significance?

Let that decide what goes next.

If you're really stuck, throw some Satie or Debussy; but something light: perhaps Both Arabesques, or All Gymnopedies.

[ianm]

A question, what ties these pieces together in your head?
^-- Key, tone, texture, historical significance?

Well, for the Scarlatti sonatas and the Chopin Ballade, I like the key relationship between them. I was thinking of having the the Scarlatti come after the Chopin, as the Chopin begins in F major then moves into A minor, which would pair well with the sonatas which are both in A major. Also, the opening of the Ballade is a really beautiful way to start a concert. I would just need a piece that would come before intermission, then the Mozart concerto would probably take up the entire second half of the concert.

If you're really stuck, throw some Satie or Debussy; but something light: perhaps Both Arabesques, or All Gymnopedies.

I feel like I need to find something more sonically and technically challenging than Debussy's Arabesques or Satie's Gymnopedies, also I feel like both pieces are so over-performed I want to do something more fresh.

Thank you for your reply vaniii, I hadn't thought about what ties the pieces together before!

[suoyung]

You can try Ravel's Valses nobles et sentimentales, or La Valse. These are both effective, technically challenging and beautiful. I think Ravel would fit well with your program. Or some parts from Miroirs, Le tombeau de Couperin. Or from Debussy's Images. You could 3rd sonata of Prokofiev, Scriabin has many suitable works for that length. Shostakovich's first piano sonata. There are so many good pieces written in 20th century.
There are many good contemporary composers, I think you can find something good there. Only thing that comes in mind is Tristan Murail's Mandragore.

[visitor]

I add o the Kohs variations and the Hough transformations. U am /are definitely in the minority on our apprciatiation of music after 1920 , there is a great music in that period since world war i....lots of yuck but also lots cool to listen to stuff

[ianm]

Hey everyone, sorry to revive this thread. But I have listened to your suggestions and as well as the suggestions from some of my colleagues and am now deciding between a few options:

Boulez: Incises (version définitive, 2001) (11')
Unsuk Chin: Etudes I-III, V, and VI (15')
Messiaen: "Le Courlis Cendre" from Catalogue d'Oiseaux (13')
Stockhausen: Klavierstucke VIII and IX (11-13')

as much as I would love to play some of the other pieces you guys suggested (they are really cool), I think I want to do more avant-garde repertoire for the 20th century portion of the recital, especially as my Mozart and Scarlatti pieces are relatively easy (technically speaking only, the Mozart is a behemoth of musicality), and these pieces require a developed technique as well as being sonically challenging. My only concern is these pieces could easily turn an audience off...

Thoughts?

[immisk]

If you want to end it with something beautiful and unusual, why don't you play a two or three of Shostakovich's Prelude and Fugues? They're subversive and challenging, but they won't turn off an audience.