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Topic: What should I play next? (Read 4029 times)

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What should I play next?

on: April 28, 2024, 06:30:56 PM

Hello y'all,
I am a pre-teen, and I have been having trouble finding a new concerto/piano piece to play next. If you can, please give me some recommendations. My repertoire list will be listed below:
Bach: All inventions, Sinfonias 1,2,3,11,15, Prelude and Fugue No.2 in C Minor WTC I
Beethoven: Sonata Op 31. No.2, Sonata Op 31. No. 3, Pathétique Sonata, 3rd movement, Moonlight Sonata
Mozart: Sonata in F major, K. 332, Sonata in B-flat, K. 333, Sonata in D, K.576, Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major
Chopin: Nocturne in C-sharp minor Op. posth, Nocturne in D-flat major Op. 27, No. 2, Nocturne in B major Op. 32, No. 1, Nocturne Op. 48, No. 1, Valse Brilliante in A-flat major Op. 34, No. 1 Waltz Op. 64 No. 1 and 2, Etude Op 10. No. 4 and 5, and Op. 25. No. 1 and 2, Fantasie Impromptu
Liszt: Liebestraum No. 3
Debussy: Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum, Arabesque No. 1, Pour Le Piano: Prelude, Rêverie, Suite Bergamasque: Prelude, Clair de lune
Schubert: Impromptu No. 2 in E-flat major
Misc. Composers
William Bolcom: Graceful Ghost Rag
Horowitz/Sousa: The Stars and Stripes Forever
I am welcome to any constructive criticism or recommendations, and I hope you have a good day!

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brogers70

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Re: What should I play next?

Reply #1 on: April 28, 2024, 09:50:44 PM

Well, for something different you might try......

Janacek - In the Mists or On an Overgrown Path
Any of a number of things by Albeniz, Granados, or De Falla. They all have lots of very Spanish sounding character pieces.
The Handel Suites are Baroque, but have a somewhat more lyrical feel than Bach, and they're very beautiful.
Scarlatti has 555 sonatas to choose from, harmonically interesting, a wide range of technical levels, and of moods
Shostakovich has a set of 24 Preludes and Fugues in all the major and minor keys - they are wonderful, some very humorous, some very moving.
Anything from Brahms Opuses 116-119, they are very deep and not as hard as lots of stuff you've played. Maybe the G minor Ballade from Opus 118 would be something you'd like.

I'd just suggest listening to some of these options and seeing what you like.

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pianistavt

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Re: What should I play next?

Reply #2 on: April 28, 2024, 11:48:31 PM

Quote from: advertis45 on April 28, 2024, 06:30:56 PM

Hello y'all,
I am a pre-teen, and I have been having trouble finding a new concerto/piano piece to play next. If you can, please give me some recommendations. My repertoire list will be listed below:
Bach: All inventions, Sinfonias 1,2,3,11,15, Prelude and Fugue No.2 in C Minor WTC I
Beethoven: Sonata Op 31. No.2, Sonata Op 31. No. 3, Pathétique Sonata, 3rd movement, Moonlight Sonata
Mozart: Sonata in F major, K. 332, Sonata in B-flat, K. 333, Sonata in D, K.576, Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major
Chopin: Nocturne in C-sharp minor Op. posth, Nocturne in D-flat major Op. 27, No. 2, Nocturne in B major Op. 32, No. 1, Nocturne Op. 48, No. 1, Valse Brilliante in A-flat major Op. 34, No. 1 Waltz Op. 64 No. 1 and 2, Etude Op 10. No. 4 and 5, and Op. 25. No. 1 and 2, Fantasie Impromptu
Liszt: Liebestraum No. 3
Debussy: Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum, Arabesque No. 1, Pour Le Piano: Prelude, Rêverie, Suite Bergamasque: Prelude, Clair de lune
Schubert: Impromptu No. 2 in E-flat major
Misc. Composers
William Bolcom: Graceful Ghost Rag
Horowitz/Sousa: The Stars and Stripes Forever
I am welcome to any constructive criticism or recommendations, and I hope you have a good day!

Was this was written by one of the parents? ... we never see this much precision in punctuation from preteens, especially when there's that much of it,

Anyway, I recommend filling in the composer gap:
Scarlatti sonatas
Haydn sonatas (or capriccio or fantasy)
Schumann - Kinderszenen, Album for the Young
Brahms - ballade in g minor op 118, rhapsody in d minor op 79, etc
And, I can't stress this enough, an Anthology of 20th c pieces - students are taught with the same 100 pieces by the major composers, it's very educational/developmental to expose them to a wide variety of new ideas about piano sound and composition starting from the intermediate stage
- "36 Twentieth Century Pieces Piano Solo" - Schirmer
- "Anthology of 20th Century Piano Music" - Alfred
- "20th Century American Composers - Upper Intermediate Level Piano"
etc

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Re: What should I play next?

Reply #3 on: April 28, 2024, 11:53:56 PM

Thank you, and I also assure you, this is me writing it! I will also make sure to take your recommendations into account! Also, if you have a concerto, please recommend one to me, because I am in desperate need of one...

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Re: What should I play next?

Reply #4 on: April 29, 2024, 12:22:45 AM

Quote from: advertis45 on April 28, 2024, 11:53:56 PM

Thank you, and I also assure you, this is me writing it! I will also make sure to take your recommendations into account! Also, if you have a concerto, please recommend one to me, because I am in desperate need of one...

Don't know my concerto repertoire well, but Mozart 23's a popular one to start with. Who would you play with? I'm jealous, wish there was an orchestra I could play something with...

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last 3 schubert sonatas and piano trios are something else

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Re: What should I play next?

Reply #5 on: April 29, 2024, 12:33:09 AM

Quote from: transitional on April 29, 2024, 12:22:45 AM

Don't know my concerto repertoire well, but Mozart 23's a popular one to start with. Who would you play with? I'm jealous, wish there was an orchestra I could play something with...

Well, I just played Mozart's Concerto No. 21, so I'm trying to look for another concerto, possibly Grieg or a Beethoven concerto, and to answer your other question, I would probably practice it with my teacher first, and then either perform it with my teacher, or participate in this competition that my music school does, and if I win, I get to play with a orchestra!

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pianistavt

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Re: What should I play next?

Reply #6 on: April 29, 2024, 12:53:44 AM

There are many Mozart piano concerti you could play next - have you listened to them? 20 in d minor and 24 in c minor are very exciting, but there are many good ones.
You could also look at the Bach keyboard concerti - the d minor, BWV 1052 is a very exciting work
Beethoven 1 or 3, perhaps.

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Re: What should I play next?

Reply #7 on: April 29, 2024, 12:58:10 AM

Quote from: pianistavt on April 29, 2024, 12:53:44 AM

There are many Mozart piano concerti you could play next - have you listened to them? 20 in d minor and 24 in c minor are very exciting, but there are many good ones.
You could also look at the Bach keyboard concerti - the d minor, BWV 1052 is a very exciting work
Beethoven 1 or 3, perhaps.

Ooh, I haven't thought about the No. 20 in D minor. Thank you again, I will ask my piano teacher about these.

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liszt-and-the-galops

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Re: What should I play next?

Reply #8 on: April 29, 2024, 01:58:45 AM

Unfortunately, I'm not great at stuff before Chopin.
For a romantic-era composer, possibly a Chopin Polonaise or Liszt Concert Etude (one of the first 2; not Un Sospiro) would be a good fit. Most of them should be about right for your level.

Hope this helps!

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Amateur pianist, beginning composer, creator of the Musical Madness tournament (2024).
https://www.youtube.com/@Liszt-and-the-Galops

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PS Silver Member
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Re: What should I play next?

Reply #9 on: April 29, 2024, 02:26:38 AM

Since no one's been too specific with options yet, I'll list some of my favorites. (Might not be the best ones to learn, idk.) There's lots you can do, since you already have so much advanced repertoire under your belt. Probably good to try composers you haven't played yet, as mentioned before.

Haydn sonata - Hob. XVI/50 just has many straightforward, well developed late Haydn ideas and is a bit more volatile than the average Haydn sonata in my opinion.

Schumann - The Kinderszenen are really popular, but also see if you like any of the Waldszenen, which I personally prefer. They're really sentimental, mature pieces that don't have too many technical challenges. If you're fine with a longer work, Humoreske is my favorite Schumann piece and might be a good project if you're into doing more Schumann.

Brahms - More musically mature content in late Brahms but nothing too inaccessible. I'd give Op. 118 No. 2 a try.

Can't say much about Handel, great suites but none of it particularly stands out to me.

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Re: What should I play next?

Reply #10 on: April 29, 2024, 03:24:34 AM

Thank you all for the recommendations! I think I should focus more on the Romantic period composers, since I have played many pieces from many Classical/Baroque composers, and do you guys have any pieces from Rachmaninoff that you can recommend? I haven't played much from him, so I need a piece that will interest me.

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Re: What should I play next?

Reply #11 on: April 29, 2024, 03:35:12 AM

Quote from: advertis45 on April 29, 2024, 03:24:34 AM

Thank you all for the recommendations! I think I should focus more on the Romantic period composers, since I have played many pieces from many Classical/Baroque composers, and do you guys have any pieces from Rachmaninoff that you can recommend? I haven't played much from him, so I need a piece that will interest me.

The Op. 3 No. 2 prelude is a really easy one for first Rachmaninoff. If you don't like it, check out the others from Morceaux de Fantaisie and Morceaux de Salon. Some late Rachmaninoff can just be really challenging technically.

I would check out Scriabin, Faure, and Ravel too. Personally prefer those 3 composers to Rachmaninoff - same period but much different styles. Some other members here are probably better with these compositions, I mostly only know the classical period to a substantial extent.

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Re: What should I play next?

Reply #12 on: April 29, 2024, 03:49:27 AM

Quote from: transitional on April 29, 2024, 03:35:12 AM

The Op. 3 No. 2 prelude is a really easy one for first Rachmaninoff. If you don't like it, check out the others from Morceaux de Fantaisie and Morceaux de Salon. Some late Rachmaninoff can just be really challenging technically.

I would check out Scriabin, Faure, and Ravel too. Personally prefer those 3 composers to Rachmaninoff - same period but much different styles. Some other members here are probably better with these compositions, I mostly only know the classical period to a substantial extent.

Yeah, I heard Ravel has some good pieces, like Le Tombeau de Couperin and Miroirs. I also remember that Cortot has an arrangement for Faure's Dolly Suite, so I might check that out, but Scriabin... I haven't delved into his pieces much yet, but I bet that they are amazing as well.

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Re: What should I play next?

Reply #13 on: April 29, 2024, 04:44:27 AM

Quote from: advertis45 on April 29, 2024, 03:49:27 AM

Yeah, I heard Ravel has some good pieces, like Le Tombeau de Couperin and Miroirs. I also remember that Cortot has an arrangement for Faure's Dolly Suite, so I might check that out, but Scriabin... I haven't delved into his pieces much yet, but I bet that they are amazing as well.

In terms of piano works, I absolutely love Faure's Barcarolles.

For Scriabin, I'd recommend listening to his Op. 38 waltz first, it's so beautiful! His music isn't traditional harmonically, and I initially passed off his innovation for pure superfluous epicness. But the 4th piano sonata is a great one to listen to because it doesn't have the ridiculous raw energy of much of Scriabin, but instead, a persistent, ambient jazzy sound. The middle (around the Op 30s or 40s) Preludes or Poemes are good places to start. Middle Scriabin because early Scriabin is just a more flamboyant Chopinesque style, while late Scriabin is difficult to process harmonically.

Here's a good website to see incipits and difficulty ratings and get a sense for what you might want to play. It's not really super complete and listening to incipits has its faults, but it's a good place to start. https://www.pianolibrary.org/

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Re: What should I play next?

Reply #14 on: April 29, 2024, 03:27:17 PM

Quote from: transitional on April 29, 2024, 04:44:27 AM

In terms of piano works, I absolutely love Faure's Barcarolles.

For Scriabin, I'd recommend listening to his Op. 38 waltz first, it's so beautiful! His music isn't traditional harmonically, and I initially passed off his innovation for pure superfluous epicness. But the 4th piano sonata is a great one to listen to because it doesn't have the ridiculous raw energy of much of Scriabin, but instead, a persistent, ambient jazzy sound. The middle (around the Op 30s or 40s) Preludes or Poemes are good places to start. Middle Scriabin because early Scriabin is just a more flamboyant Chopinesque style, while late Scriabin is difficult to process harmonically.

Here's a good website to see incipits and difficulty ratings and get a sense for what you might want to play. It's not really super complete and listening to incipits has its faults, but it's a good place to start. https://www.pianolibrary.org/

Yeah, I've been looking into the website you showed me this morning, and I see a lot of pieces that interest me, thank you!

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Re: What should I play next?

Reply #15 on: May 17, 2024, 12:17:16 AM

Quote from: advertis45 on April 29, 2024, 12:33:09 AM

Well, I just played Mozart's Concerto No. 21, so I'm trying to look for another concerto, possibly Grieg or a Beethoven concerto, and to answer your other question, I would probably practice it with my teacher first, and then either perform it with my teacher, or participate in this competition that my music school does, and if I win, I get to play with a orchestra!

Well, now my piano teacher told me that I will be playing 2 concertos, a classical and a romantic one. I really hope they're like Grieg or Beethoven, or maybe even a Chopin concerto, since I enjoy all of them thoroughly.

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