Concert programs

[cziffra]

Hello-
I have noticed that several other posts have dealt with the question of concert programs- what works well, what doesn't, whether this list is a good idea, or should i swap these two pieces around, etc. 

Since this is a skill that needs to be learnt just as any other facet of piano playing,  I thought it would be a good idea to have a post that  lists sample concert programs that have been performed by established artists, so we have some idea of what the best are doing with their concerts, and we can build from there.   

I'll get the ball rolling with a concert of Arcadi Volodos, he performed in singapore on the 9/12/04

So, if you have any program lists from piano concerts, please post them on this page!  Do not hold back, the idea is to provide a catalogue of many, many concerts, to compare to when we try to choose our own. 

Enjoy!

[cziffra]

VOLODOS: 9/12/04

Beethoven Sonata no 12, op 26 "funeral march"
Beethoven: Sonata no31 Op110
INTERMISSION

Scriabin Fantasia in Bm op28
Scriabin Mazurka F#m op25.7
Scriabin Prelude G#m op27.1
Scriabin Fragilite op51.1
ScriabinPoeme aile op 51.3
Scriabin Danse languide op51.4
Scriabin poeme Op71.2
Scriabin Vers la flamme op72
Liszt Les Cloches de Geneve- Nocturne S.160
Liszt (version volodos) Hungarian Rhapsody no13 Am S.244

plus 4 encores (can't find them out just yet)

[lostinidlewonder]

I thought it would be a good idea to have a post that  lists sample concert programs that have been performed by established artists, so we have some idea of what the best are doing with their concerts, and we can build from there.   

I first have to say I have seen lots of big names do ridiculously stupid concert programs which would make me crash and burn if i did the same selection. For example bais to a particular composer, or entire movements of "musician" music.

I have to say that looking at what others do for concert program and trying to learn from that does not hold too much detail. I think it is so much better to develop your own concert idea/program from scratch.

I know a great deal of well known professional concert pianists do not even have a program, they go to the concert with a few peices in mind which they want to play, and then on stage or just before they choose what they want to add/subtract to the program. Roger Woodward did this many times, having no program sold at the door, and choosing a selection of Debussy Preludes + Etudes, Bach and Chopin Etudes. Daring I know, but he is known for his Debussy and Chopin. But a lesser pianist trying to do the same selection he did would probably die, crash and burn.

[Nordlys]

I first have to say I have seen lots of big names do ridiculously stupid concert programs which would make me crash and burn if i did the same selection. For example bais to a particular composer, or entire movements of "musician" music.

Do you mean concerts featuring only one composer? And what is "musician" music?
Actually the Volodos program does look a bit one-sided, with so much Scriabin, and then Liszt which is quite similar in expression.

On the other hand, what is wrong with playing only one composer? People go to rock concert where only one band plays their own music. A concert with only Scriabin for example could be a very intense experience, because you will get more deeply into the world of this composer.

I heard by the way once a concert with all the piano works of Schönberg, performed by Peter Stein. It was little more than one hour.

[Goldberg]

"Musician music", I think, is music that is not friendly to your typical concert-goer; only a true music fan or actual musician would enjoy it; Schoenberg is a good example, I should think, of music that the typical audience wouldn't enjoy very much (most Contemporary composers fit the bill). Pieces that are not necessarily "musician-only" (well you know what I mean) pieces are, in general, what are referred to as "overplayed" such as Fur Elise, Moonlight Sonata, and maybe a few Chopin Nocturnes......etc. Those kind of things entertain non-musical audiences. It's not so much that a Liszt Legende wouldn't wow them from the technical demands (and non-musical people DO tend to listen only after the pianist starts banging around wildly, it seems), but it's a matter of keeping them interested long enough to enjoy the nuances of the piece and the pianist's overall interpretation...but, again, that sort of understanding is accessable only to musicians or, otherwise, fans who listen to a lot of music.

Volodos' program is considerably a "musician program" but I don't have any problems with that sort of thing, personally. I would love to have seen it!

I also don't mind composer-biases either. I think there should be more single- or maybe double- or triple- composer recitals which focus more on one era rather than trying to cram an entire 3 or 4 centuries into 2 hours. For a long time I've been considering doing a "mostly-Liszt" program that features works by Liszt, but also of other famous pianists of the day like Thalberg, Tausig, Herz, Rosenthal, Siloti, d'Albert, etc. (no, not all of those, but one or two of them) It hasn't happened yet--the recital--but it remains in my dreams.

And to keep it going, I'll post an almost disgustingly Horowitzian program which I saw Lang Lang perform a few months ago. This program, I think, should be considered without bias towards the pianist...like I said it looks very close to what one might imagine Horowitz playing, so with that in mind I think it's a very solid program that should appeal to a wide range of listeners:

Mozart: Piano Sonata no. 10 in C major, k.330
Chopin: Piano Sonata no. 3 in B minor, Op. 58
*INT*
Schumann: Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood), op. 15
Rachmaninoff: Two Preludes; Op. 23 no. 2 in Bb Major, Op. 23 no. 5 in G minor
Liszt: Petrarch: Sonnet no. 104, Anees de pelerinage no. 2
Liszt-Horowitz: Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2

[steinwayguy]

Claude Frank (I loved this program)

Piano Sonata in E Minor, Op. 90
   -Beethoven
Piano Sonata in C Minor K.457(?)
   -Mozart
Fantasy, Op. 49
Impromptu in A-flat, Op. 29
   -Chopin
Intermission
Piano Sonata in B-flat, D.960
   -Schubert

[Schumann Lover]

Thematic recital programs:

"Dedication"

Schumann -- Fantasy in C major, op. 17 (dedicated to Liszt)

Intermission

Liszt -- Sonata in B minor (dedicated to Schumann)




"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." - Charles Dickens

Schumann -- Carnaval, op. 9

Intermission

Prokofiev -- Sonata no. 6 in A major, op. 82 "War Sonata no. 1"




Louie Lortie's Carnegie Hall program

"All Waltz"

SCHUBERT Valses nobles, D.969 (selections)
SCHUBERT Valses sentimentales, D.779 (selections)
LISZT Soirées de Vienne (Valses caprices d’après Schubert), No. 6
BERLIOZ "Un Bal" from Symphonie fantastique (arr. Franz Liszt)
LISZT Valses oubliées, Nos. 1 & 2
LISZT Waltz from Gounod's Faust
LACHENMANN Five Variations on a Theme of Franz Schubert
RAVEL Valses nobles et sentimentales
RAVEL La Valse



Evgeny Kissin's "All Russian" program:

Rachmaninoff -- Nine Etudes-Tableaux, op. 39

Intermission

Scriabin -- Sonata no. 3 in f-sharp minor, op. 23

Rachmaninoff/Richardson -- Vocalise

Balakirev -- Islamey




"The Last Sonata"

Haydn -- Sonata in E-flat major, Hob. XVI: 52

Beethoven -- Sonata in C minor, Op. 111

Intermission

Schubert -- Sonata in B-flat major, D. 960




Jefferey Swann's program:

"Music Inspired by Visions of Nature"

Schumann --  "Waldszenen", op. 82
Liszt -- something
Debussy -- Four Preludes
Messiaen -- "Le Merle Bleu" from the "Catalogue des oiseaux"
Bartok -- "Out of Doors"

[Joseph_Hoffman]

Themed Recital Programmes I have given.... (plan to give)

"Composers who's names started with 'S' and had a mental illness.'

Salieri - Sonata in C
Schumann - C major Fantasy
Interval
Smetana - Preludes
Szymanowski - Etudes op. 4
Scriabin - Sonata no. 5
                Vers La flamme
--------------------------------------------------------------

"Composers who's names sound like 'Schubert' but aren't quite'

Shobert - Grande Sonata
Schubart - Sonata (Can't remember opus. number.)
Interval
Schubert (The OTHER one) Transcriptions of some leider.
Schobart -Sonata and transcriptions of leider.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

"Complete Scriabin Preludes"

Scriabin: The complete preludes.
------------------------------------------------------------------

"Really annoying recital" (Played by Richter)

All the Debussy preludes EXCEPT fireworks and The Hills of Anacapri.

AAAARRRRRRGGGGG!!! (That recital really pisses me off....probably because I am a virgo.)

[cziffra]

Thanks for your replies!  This is excellent.

I know a great deal of well known professional concert pianists do not even have a program, they go to the concert with a few peices in mind which they want to play, and then on stage or just before they choose what they want to add/subtract to the program. Roger Woodward did this many times, having no program sold at the door, and choosing a selection of Debussy Preludes + Etudes, Bach and Chopin Etudes. Daring I know, but he is known for his Debussy and Chopin. But a lesser pianist trying to do the same selection he did would probably die, crash and burn.

I actually saw a concert where he did this...He decided which pieces he would play while he was on the stage, and one of the pieces he chose, he hadn't played for a few decades! 

[puma]

I wish I were experienced enough that I could just go out stage and decide right then and there.   I could imagine myself being this good ... but it's going to take A LOT of work. <sigh>

[steinwayguy]

Yeah, Richter supposedly had around 80 different programs he could just whip out at any time...

[pianonut]

i just heard andre watts play tonight.  he's about 56 right now, and so plays in the 'older' manner (more romantic gestures- foot swings way back at times, a little foot pounding, arm occasionally swings down, hands move horizontal and then sideways)  BUT he's got a beautiful sound.  he's really toned things down, and he plays such delicate music so very very very fast and with feeling when slow.

he came out tonight with a neck brace on.  (first surprise)  he said his surgeon told him he had to wear it, and he said he chose the soft one and not the full head gear for our sakes.  despite whatever troubles he's having with his neck/back, he keeps interest by not sticking with the recital program:

Hayden's Sonata No. 58 in C Major
Rondo in D Major K. 485 and 511 (switched for some beautiful Scarlatti sonatas)
Schubert's Deri Klavierstucke D. 946
 intermission
Debussy's Estampes
Gyorgy Ligeti's Musica ricercata (interesting piece)
A Bunch of Liszt (substituted a Chopin Nocturne - very beautiful)
Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13 in A minor

and an encore that i wish i knew what it was!  light and airy.  possibly debussy.

ps andre was only 16-17 when Bernstein asked him to substitute at the last minute for ailing Glen Gould in performances of Liszt's Eb concerto with the NY philharmonic! mr. watt's latest recording features both liszt concertos and mac dowell's concerto #2 with the dallas symphony.  he currently has an 'endowed' chair in music at indiana university.

pss did you know that murray perhiah conducted AND played for his CD with two mozart piano concertos (467 and 545)  they are great!  and, he improvised a couple cadenza's to boot. 

[Nordlys]

What about this program:

 - Messiaen: Vingt regards  - the whole thing.


Played by Håkon Austbø several times I think.

[shasta]

Vladimir Ashkenazy - recital given at Yale University ~1995:

Beethoven Sonata Op.31 No.1
Beethoven Sonata Op.31 No.2
*intermission*
Chopin Nocturne Op.55 No.1
Chopin Fantasie Op.49
Chopin Barcarolle Op.60
Chopin Ballade Op.52 No.4

[chromatickler]

Libetta:

complete Czerny op740 -art of finger dexterity

 

[pianonut]

i thought you were joking, but after listening to his site  francescolibetta.com  i realized he's really good (and looking, too).  you can click on 'sound' and hear his stuff.  he's the next pollini in my way of thinking.  very concise and very brilliant.

[cziffra]

What about this program:

 - Messiaen: Vingt regards  - the whole thing.

Michael Kieran Harvey has also done this- reviews said it was magical.  "2 hours of music pass as if in an instant" or something like that.