Encore Pieces

[MzrtMusic]

My teacher wants me to learn some encore pieces, but I'm have a very hard time finding something I like. I want something along the lines of Khachaturian's "Toccata" or Saint-Saens "Allegro Appassionata for Piano."

If you know any encore type pieces that are around 4 minutes in length, I would really appreciate heaing about them!

Love,

Sarah

[chopinetta]

any of the etudes? a toccata seems right!!!

[frederic]

Will this be for a concert. Well, encore pieces should be short and very easy for the audience to catch on.
I would suggest Moskzkowski's Caprice Espagnol.

[Aurelio]

What about some refreshing Erik Satie pieces?

You always could play a Chopin nocturne like C#minor ("the pianist" film one) or Debussy easier pieces (Arabesques or so)

[rachfan]

Rachmaninoff's piano transcription of his song "Lilacs" is a fabulous encore piece.

[ayahav]

there's an amazing toccata by an argentinean composer called M. Tauriello (20th century). He was a student of Ginastera's (the latter is more famous). The toccata is quite simple but has a catchy rhythm, and one difficult octave passage similar to the one in Brahms' Rhapsody Op.79 No.1. I'll try to find the sheet music and I'll email it to you if you want it.....,.

[MzrtMusic]

There are some good ideas here! Thanks a lot! Ayahav, if you can find that music, would you mind telling me where to get it? You can just send me a message... Chopinetta, when you said "Any of the etudes..." Did you mean any of the Chopin etudes? Or Khachaturian etudes, or what? I have the Rachmaninoff "Lilacs" music, and I just love it!

These encore type pieces are for two things. Just because my teacher thinks I need some more, and because I'm planning on auditioning for the radio show "From the Top." There is another post somewhere on here about that...

Anyway... Thanks for your help!

Love,

Sarah

[chopinetta]

i agree with the tauriello. it's not that hard but it's really show-offy. technical piece too! additional strenght to the 4th finger. the key is to play it as fast as you can.

[ned]

Sarah:
I think the Khachaturian is a bit long for an encore. A lot depends on what was played in the main part of the program.

Here are some I use:
The Brahms Waltz in A flat or Chopin Mazurka op 24/1, followed by the Prokofiev March from the Love for Three Oranges.

Fibich "Poem" (very schmalzy, one page) followed by De Falla Ritual Fire Dance.

In my view, encores should be flirtatious and surprising. Don't play something so big or difficult that it will sound as if you were starting a new program.
Take a look at Earl Wild's paraphrase of Gershwin's Lady be Good. Also Prokofiev, Dance of the Girls with Lillies from Romeo and Juliet, and Shostakovich Polka from the Age of Gold.

Ernesto Lecuona wrote some delicious stuff, aside from Malaguena, like the Valses de Concierto, the Mazurka en Glissando, Canto del Guajiro all recorded by Thomas Tirino, and available in sheet.
Ned

[eddie92099]

John Ogdon used to play the Khatchaturian Toccata as an encore (but then he also would play Ravel's left hand Concerto with the right hand filling in for the orchestra as an encore!!). Peter Jablonski recently played Debussy's Feux d'artifice as an encore when I saw him which was very effective, although sometimes a simpler piece can work well such as Scarlatti (an encore favourite of Barenboim). Other than this I would suggest some of Ginastera's Preludios Americanos which are not as difficult as they sound,
Ed

[amee]

How about a Rachmaninoff Prelude?  The G sharp minor one (op 32 no 12) and op 32 no 5 are popular encores.  

Also for a short and light encore, try "La danse de Puck" from Debussy's Preludes Bk 1.

[la_carrenio2003]

Just commenting: I heard some pianists lately who ask the audience for a theme and improvises on it.  Other interesting thing: I heard Dmitri Bashkiroff playing arrangements of Schubert's lieder as encores. Pretty cool.

[lars]

If you want to impress why don't you play an absolutely light piece,such as  an Scarlatti Sonata?