audition repertoire selections & wisdom

[hopefulauditionpasser]

hello!

I am planning to present these works for conservatory auditions. I also want to take a gap year to further hone my piano technique (among other things) Please critique!!

Bach WTC 1 a minor
Mozart k.576
Ravel Alborada del Gracioso
Rachmaninoff Op.39 no.1 (for fast and virtuous etude)

Gap year: Scriabin Fantasy



Is there any point in learning even more repertoire, or “upgrading” one of my selections? Or better just to polish these five

And, is there any audition wisdom from the wise? I am terrified of the auditions.

Thank you 

[lelle]

Looks like a good selection of varying characters and opportunities to display technical skills! I think you're good with these.

Advice:
- Try doing practice auditions multiple times with your teacher and/or your friends. It helps to have experience the situation, or something like it, before you do it the first time. If you can audition for other schools that might be good options but you aren't as interested in before your main audition, that can help to.
- Focus on making music and enjoying these pieces that you love. It makes it easier to play well than if you try to make sure you play well if that makes sense.
- Remember that it's not you as a person who is being judged for your value, it's just an examination if your playing skills and the school are a good fit. One way to see the auditions is that they are there to see if you are ready to handle the course load of a conservatory. If you aren't, it wouldn't actually be a good experience for you to go there anyways. Also, sometimes you just have bad luck and five Evgeny Kissin's audition at the same time as you, and then there is not much you can do even if you play at your very best.

[akselspiano]

One advice is to remember that none of the pieces are listened in full, and its important to reconcentrate for the new piece/character while stopping somewhere in middle, I would concentrate a lot on the openings and for example not really give too much time to recapitulation of the sonata. Most important is to switch characters and touch in a very small time room

[hopefulauditionpasser]

One advice is to remember that none of the pieces are listened in full, and its important to reconcentrate for the new piece/character while stopping somewhere in middle, I would concentrate a lot on the openings and for example not really give too much time to recapitulation of the sonata. Most important is to switch characters and touch in a very small time room

oh I didn't realize! that is very enlightening actually. but it makes sense from a judgment perspective.

[akselspiano]

Also the program is very strong!
It is nice if you can learn how much the audition is, an estimation would be possible- etude is fully played, bach is relatively not long, so also likely to play full. Sonata is for sure cut- first movements are most important (and difficult!) so until recap, second to practice half and third a bit to, its good to practice a bit longer anyway, one would prefer in this to have worked more than necessary rather than practicing too short hahah. In the end your music is the most important, this is already technically demanding program- when one puts such pieces it is important that you can play them- i know it sounds obvious but it is better to present a well polished haydn sonata than a struggling mozart, which next to bach is the most opinionated composer in the list. I mean this as in different juries can have different tastes for articulation and so on.
If possible best to get in contact with someone in the jury and ask for feedback/lesson, makes such a huge difference.
As one plays among many others, there isnt any time to get into the mood or warm up, absolute confidence and character from the very beginning is a real point of practice concentration.
Always helps to just sit down and start your program in different pianos, even with not properly warmed up hands, to see your worst to know what can go wrong and be aware!
Do you have any questions?

[hopefulauditionpasser]

Also the program is very strong!
It is nice if you can learn how much the audition is, an estimation would be possible- etude is fully played, bach is relatively not long, so also likely to play full. Sonata is for sure cut- first movements are most important (and difficult!) so until recap, second to practice half and third a bit to, its good to practice a bit longer anyway, one would prefer in this to have worked more than necessary rather than practicing too short hahah. In the end your music is the most important, this is already technically demanding program- when one puts such pieces it is important that you can play them- i know it sounds obvious but it is better to present a well polished haydn sonata than a struggling mozart, which next to bach is the most opinionated composer in the list. I mean this as in different juries can have different tastes for articulation and so on.
If possible best to get in contact with someone in the jury and ask for feedback/lesson, makes such a huge difference.
As one plays among many others, there isnt any time to get into the mood or warm up, absolute confidence and character from the very beginning is a real point of practice concentration.
Always helps to just sit down and start your program in different pianos, even with not properly warmed up hands, to see your worst to know what can go wrong and be aware!
Do you have any questions?

not currently no ! i need to buckle down and start grinding down these pieces haha

but it's nice to know that at-least from a programmatic perspective, the repetoire is fine. i had some notion that everyone was popping out ballade 4's and islameys.

i'll slide a reply though if anything pops up.