Prokofiev Piano Concerto 2 Mental Performance Tips

[ferx.-]

I'm performing the fourth movement of Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto with an orchestra in two weeks. This is my first time playing with an orchestra, and I was wondering about any preparation tips, specifically mental ones. I don't have much experience with performance, and nerves have definitely gotten the best of me in past performances, but I certainly feel more prepared for this than I have for any previous performance.

I was wondering, when you perform, what do you think about? It almost seems like, especially for this piece, you have to use your ear and listen, trust your training, and just simply play. You can't really "think" about anything. One of my problems is that since this movement is so reliant on jumps and chromaticism, I'm scared that if something goes wrong, I won't be prepared to get "back on". So, I'm afraid I will constantly be "thinking" ahead and preparing for potential errors during the actual performance. This cannot be something pianists should be doing, right? How do I train myself to just not think and go forward, trusting my training?

Also, I was wondering if any of you have had any experience with intrusive thoughts while performing, thoughts that derail your focus and your confidence. How do you deal with these?

I feel very confident in my ability to perform this movement. I just figured I'd make this post to learn as much as I can from others who have felt similarly.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Bro Im not gonna hold you it straight up sucks lol.

Have you had rehearsal yet?

Not to totally not answer your question but…

Yeah listening is important, but you also don’t want to run into the problem of listening to the orchestra, but they’re listening to you, but you’re listening to them, but they’re listening to you, and you run into a feedback loop which results in dragging tempo.

So you also need to know when to lead say *** the orchestra, this is the tempo I’m taking, you’re either with me or you’re not.  Like you literally gotta leave the orchestra. If they’re good they should follow you.  This is BY FAR the most important thing when it comes to playing with a concerto.

If you’re worried about memory, mark potential trouble spots and make a plan for what to do if you lose it there.

[ferx.-]

Thanks for your response. Not sure how reassuring that is though lmao. But I guess it is reassuring in a way that no matter who I ask, performing concertos is difficult for everyone.

Yeah, we've had a couple of brief rehearsals, but they keep getting canceled due to the weather. They've gone decently, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

In those rehearsals, I think I've already run into the feedback loop that you're mentioning. Sometimes it does feel like it's dragging, especially because I prefer to play the movement at a fast tempo (but I was also a little nervous... so there's that). Yeah, I'm definitely gonna assume the mindset that I just have to move forward, I've been reading about what concert pianists say, and it seems that you just have to think about moving forward. But it also seems that comfort on stage only comes with time. I hope to just have fun with it and enjoy the moment.

Appreciate your response.

[anacrusis]

I have very limited experience performing concertos, but have done solo live performance and a fair amount of chamber music.

I do not recommend thinking ahead and anticipating errors. You need to be focused on the music here and now. That is not to say you aren't allowed to think. I think it's a good idea to understand your piece structurally, harmonically and musically. Be very aware of where you are, what is happening and where you are going. But that is not the same thing as thinking ahead about what disasters might happen in 20 bars lol.

As for your mind wandering and losing focus, yes that happens. Sometimes it can literally be a way for your brain to cope with the stress of the situation. You need to train your self to notice when it happens, grab hold of your mind and bring your focus back to where you want it to be. I'd recommend doing a couple of practice performances at home if you aren't doing that already, just to practice what happens to you particularly when you are under stress, and explore how best to deal with it.

Generally, I recommend redirecting any thoughts of "oh no, what if..." to "I know I can do this, I'm going to do exactly as how I practiced".