What do you look for when choosing repertoire?

[thorn]

I'm curious. All of us like more pieces than we could possibly learn, so how do people narrow this down? The forum is inundated with difficulty threads these days, is that really the main thing you consider? Do you even pick your own repertoire or does your teacher? Do you try and keep a balance of periods?

Don't feel the need to answer each of those and please divert from them, they're just ideas to get the thread started!

[brogers70]

I look at the ratio of beauty to technical effort required. I'm not interested in spending months working through something that is meant to be a technical showing off. I look for things that are emotionally engaging and comfortably enough within my technical range that if I play them for friends in a house recital or in a church, the audience will be paying attention to the music, not worrying about whether I'm going to fall apart technically. I want them to go away thinking "Wow, I should listen to some more Janacek," not "Wow, he played really impressively."

[pianistavt]

I choose pieces for a few different reasons
-- etudes because I think it would be good for my technique - like Chopin 25 / 8 - sixths
-- because it's time I covered this composer, I need it in my repertoire - like a Bach prelude/fugue
-- because I played it in my teens and want to redeem it, and it should be quicker than a brand new piece - like Chopin ballade 1
-- because I really like it - - this covers most of my work portfolio, none of these are easy for me, I like pianistic challenges

[thorn]

I want them to go away thinking "Wow, I should listen to some more Janacek," not "Wow, he played really impressively."

This partially describes my outlook too. When playing to an audience I generally program stuff most won't have come across (eg. Janacek) in the hope they go away wanting to hear more. In my younger days I didn't let technique hinder this- like I'd play stuff beyond my level because I wanted others to love it like I did. But in hindsight I definitely wasn't selling those pieces by playing them badly. I'm better at balancing now!

[jaquet]

i just listen to alot of music and whatever sticks in my head most, i give it a sightread then learn it, difficulty doesnt concern me, as i will overcome them in the learning process. But for other pieces my teacher just gives me them. Also ill learn pieces just to develop me towards harder pieces, if that piece is really to difficult, for example i will be on a lifelong journey towards rach 3. Where im just starting to learn some rachmaninoff.