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Topic: 13 y/o Concert Program - Suggestions?  (Read 2900 times)

Offline soultrap

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13 y/o Concert Program - Suggestions?
on: July 29, 2018, 03:17:30 PM
I decided to play my second solo Concert soon. My first was a year ago, and the program consisted of:

Bach - Toccata in E minor BWV 914
Mozart - Sonata in A minor, K. 310
Mendelssohn - Variations Serieuses
Chopin - Etudes op. 10 No.s 3, 4, 5
Chopin - Ballade No. 4

(Encore - I played Liszt La Campanella)

It was a success - won't say everything was perfect, but considering I was 12 a year ago, we (my teacher, parents, myself) think it was alright.

(In fact, I'm going to be cheeky and self-promote here. This is the Youtube link to my full concert
)

(P.S My Ballade and Etude No. 4 is pretty terrible back then - I worked on it for two months. I had to prepare for a competition in Europe a couple months prior, and that took all my time.)

SELF PROMOTION OUT OF THE WAY *COUGH*

Tom Lee music recently contacted me, asking if they can sponsor a public concert of mine. I agreed, and now I have to figure out the program.

These are the pieces that I am currently working on, and ones I either played in my last solo concert or in other concerts within a year ago.

Those pieces are:

Bach - Prelude and Fugue in G minor, WTC II
Bach - Toccata in E minor, bWV 914
Mozart Sonata in A minor, K.310
Beethoven sonata no. 21, op 53(waldstein),
Beethoven Sonata no. 30, op.109
Chopin Etudes no. 1,2,3,4,5,7,8 Op.10 (not no. 6)
Chopin Ballade no. 4, op. 52
Liszt Paganini Etude no. 2
Liszt Paganini Etude no. 3
Liszt Mephisto Waltz No. 1
Rachmaninoff Sonata No. 2 in B flat
Rachmaninoff Moment Musicaux No. 4 in E minor
Shostakovich Prelude and Fugue in G major, no. 3

Concertos:

Chopin No. 2 (complete)
Tchaikovsky no. 1 (working on - definitely won't have it ready)

So, I want to have some opinions on what would be a well-structured program for the pieces above.

I was thinking of a program like this:

Bach - Prelude and Fugue 5-6 min
Mendelssohn - Variations (cause I thought Mendelssohn and Bach go well together) ~11 min
Beethoven no. 30 ~20 min
Chopin Etudes nos. 1,2,3,4,5 ~13 min
Rachmaninoff sonata - 19 min
Chopin Ballade no. 4 - ~11 min

The above is about 80 min.

Or, something like what I played for my ARCT Piano Performance exam:

Bach - Toccata in E minor ~ 7 min
Beethoven - Waldstein complete ~ 25 min
Chopin Ballade no. 4 ~11 min
Rachmaninoff Moments Musicaux no. 4 ~4 min
(I can add in Rachmaninoff's sonata in here too ~19 min)
Shostakovich Prelude and Fugue in G major, ~5 min
La Campanella ~5 min.

Any suggestions are welcome.  :)




Pieces I'm working on:
Beethoven op. 109
Chopin Etudes op.10
Tchaikovsky Seasons June & October
Tchaikovsky Russian scherzo op. 1 no. 1
Tchaikovsky concerto 1
Mozart K 488
Rachmaninoff sonata 2
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Offline pianoville

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Re: 13 y/o Concert Program - Suggestions?
Reply #1 on: July 30, 2018, 10:15:17 AM
I liked your program a lot. But, programming a late Beethoven sonata could be really dumb if you don't feel completely sure that you can handle it and really "understand" it. So, maybe programming the Waldstein Sonata instead would be a little smarter (even though it's very hard too). I'm not saying that a 13 y/o cannot understand late Beethoven, but it's extremely rare. Also, I probably would have played the Rach sonata after the Chopin Ballade. I think the rest of the program is great, I wouldn't change anything about it.
"Perfection itself is imperfection." - Vladimir Horowitz

Offline mjames

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Re: 13 y/o Concert Program - Suggestions?
Reply #2 on: July 31, 2018, 03:10:51 PM
BEETHOVEN MYSTICISM LOL

If the guy can play transcendental etudes and Chopin ballades he can play a late Beethoven sonata.

Offline soultrap

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Re: 13 y/o Concert Program - Suggestions?
Reply #3 on: July 31, 2018, 09:51:54 PM
BEETHOVEN MYSTICISM LOL

If the guy can play transcendental etudes and Chopin ballades he can play a late Beethoven sonata.

  :D
I hope so. IMO, most of the Late Beethoven isn't as technically difficult as. say, ballades or etudes (Hammerklavier is an exception - Jeez, Beethoven need a chill pill), but the musical aspect may take more time until I can understand what it is.


I liked your program a lot. But, programming a late Beethoven sonata could be really dumb if you don't feel completely sure that you can handle it and really "understand" it. So, maybe programming the Waldstein Sonata instead would be a little smarter (even though it's very hard too). I'm not saying that a 13 y/o cannot understand late Beethoven, but it's extremely rare. Also, I probably would have played the Rach sonata after the Chopin Ballade. I think the rest of the program is great, I wouldn't change anything about it.

Yes, I agree. The ordering is no problem, thanks for taking your time and reading it.
I haven't played any Late Beethoven sonatas yet. I've played earlier sonatas (say, op. 2 no. 1, op. 10 no.3), Some from the Middle period (As I mentioned, Waldstein) so I wanted to get an idea of what each "era" of Beethoven sonatas is like. Of course, it probably takes more experience and understanding of music to perform a late sonata well.
Pieces I'm working on:
Beethoven op. 109
Chopin Etudes op.10
Tchaikovsky Seasons June & October
Tchaikovsky Russian scherzo op. 1 no. 1
Tchaikovsky concerto 1
Mozart K 488
Rachmaninoff sonata 2

Offline pianoville

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Re: 13 y/o Concert Program - Suggestions?
Reply #4 on: August 01, 2018, 12:08:25 PM
BEETHOVEN MYSTICISM LOL

If the guy can play transcendental etudes and Chopin ballades he can play a late Beethoven sonata.

I disagree with you. The transcendental etudes are not even comparable to late Beethoven sonatas. Obviously they are more technically difficult, but do you think that a great technique is enough to be able to master any piece of music? Also, I didn't say he couldn't play late Beethoven, I just pointed out how difficult the musical aspect of it is, which I don't think you understood.
"Perfection itself is imperfection." - Vladimir Horowitz

Offline mjames

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Re: 13 y/o Concert Program - Suggestions?
Reply #5 on: August 01, 2018, 02:10:07 PM
I disagree with you. The transcendental etudes are not even comparable to late Beethoven sonatas. Obviously they are more technically difficult, but do you think that a great technique is enough to be able to master any piece of music? Also, I didn't say he couldn't play late Beethoven, I just pointed out how difficult the musical aspect of it is, which I don't think you understood.

lol

Offline avguste

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Re: 13 y/o Concert Program - Suggestions?
Reply #6 on: September 15, 2018, 02:23:19 AM
I would strongly recommend to stay way from the Rachmaninoff sonata. Rachmaninoff requires so much emotions....In my humble opinion, you are way too young for it. You can still practice it and learn it, but I would recommend to not perform it until you are 16-17 and have gone thru many real life emotions and experiences (love, hate, treason, anger and so forth...)
Avguste Antonov
Pianiste Concertiste
Professeur de Piano | Conservatoire Intercommunal de Chateaubriant
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