How long will it take to learn this piece?

[pianogang1885]

My local youth orchestra has a piano Concerto competition every year and the winner gets to play one movement of the Concerto with them. The competition is in June next year. I've had a sightread of the third movement of the Mendelssohn Piano Concerto no.1. From what I've heard and seen though, it sounds like a pretty advanced concerto. However I am RCM Level 8 and I have like 9 months to learn. Anyone have any advice?

[anacrusis]

What do you want advice about? If you should learn that particular concerto? It's difficult to say without knowing your abilities. Mendelssohn can be quite tough and requires a lot of virtuosity.

[symphonicdance]

The winner must play 3rd movement of the Mendelssohn Piano Concerto no.1 or any choice as picked by the winner? Some of the (fast) movements from Bach, Haydn and Mozart concertos may be more suitable for you than the Mendelssohn one.

[ranjit]

My local youth orchestra has a piano Concerto competition every year and the winner gets to play one movement of the Concerto with them. The competition is in June next year. I've had a sightread of the third movement of the Mendelssohn Piano Concerto no.1. From what I've heard and seen though, it sounds like a pretty advanced concerto. However I am RCM Level 8 and I have like 9 months to learn. Anyone have any advice?

RCM level 8 isn't that high. You may be capable of more, but I would expect the Mendelssohn to on average take 3-4 more years. In case you're very good at scales and arpeggios, and can play them at 130-140 BPM minimum, you might be able to give it a shot from what I see. The thing is, even if you manage to play it, it will be very hard to get it performance ready.