I realize these topics are generally eschewed around the forum... the form of "Which piece should I play" followed by "ask your teacher!"

But I shall ask anyways.

I have all of this summer and the winter, about Six months to learn a concerto for a competition. I believe this is an appropriate amount of time and it can be done, given the proper concerto.

Last time I asked, I got many recommendations for a moderately Easy Mozart concerto.

Unfortunately, I didn't find myself that much into it. If this makes sense, I was able to play it, but did not enjoy it at all; consequently, i didn't memorize it in time.

So it was with great regret and a sour face that I attended the recital that the winner gave: he chose the Prokofiev 1.
(quite short, in terms of concerti).

Not too long ago I went to a 9th grade friend's recital, where she played the Mendelssohn 1st in G Minor.

Friends my age gave recitals of the Rach 2/3 and Chopin 1st Concerto.

I still haven't chose one that would work for me though! And since next year is my last opportunity to do this competition, it will be tricky.

if you ask which concertos I adore, I would say Tchaikovksy 1, Prokofiev 3, and the late Beethoven Concerti.

Have any of you had success with a concerto for these types of competitions?

I've heard that some can be flashy for a bit and then the rest quite vapid... But still, I wonder if the Grieg or Schumann would be a good choice?

Technical ability is not that much of a limitation. Obviously, I cannot play the tchaikovksy or prokofiev 3rd; any russian concertos seem out of reach.

ADVICE, pianoworld??

What are you playing now?

Can you provide more details like what the competition is, age category, your playing experience, etc...

@bplary, I've finished the C Minor Bach Partita (no.2) wholly, am working on Liszt Hr.2 and Liszt CE 3 (Un Sospiro).

The competition is for anybody who has not graduated high school, so ages 0-17/18. My playing experience is about 10-11 years since age 4, with a long break recently due to no teacher.

I have copies of many concertos around: Beethoven's 3rd and 5th, Mendelssohn's 1st, Grieg, Mozart D Minor (21?)... In a box locked away hidden in a vault I do have the difficult russian concertos.

I was playing through Mendelssohn's 1st a bit. It isn't tricky at all, but I probably won't be able to memorize something I don't like much.

Oh right, the concerto competition requires a pianist to play a concerto from memory. A full concerto, so I cannot just play the 3rd movement of whatnot.. I also have to provide an accompanist, but that's a problem to address later.

So guys, from the mentioned pieces are there any that are a magic fit? In terms of what I like, a ton of Beethoven/Chopin, a bit of Liszt/Rach/Tchaikovksy/etc. Not much Classical, more romantic centered. Newer music is interseting, but I am bad with dissonance and too modern sounding pieces. For example, I wouldn't like Impressionistic music much either. (Did debussy write any concertos?)

It's really physically impossible to really give you a good recommendation unless you post a recording of your playing. Anyone can say they can play any amount of pieces but we have no idea if you're better at one genre or another or how well you can play these pieces. Any recommendations should be simply taken as listening recommendations and wouldn't take them too seriously.
No one can evaluate your ability based on text alone.

I'd learn Chopin's 1st Piano Concerto. It's overplayed but it's very beautiful, technically challenging (especially the 3rd movement), and very rewarding (especially if you love romantic repertoire).
Regards,
Milou
PS. It seems like we're around the same age, except you've been playing piano about twice as long as I have.

slerk :

It seems to me that you are limiting yourself considerably by the facts that :
- you don't particularly want to learn a Classical concerto
- you lean towards the Romantic literature
- the larger Russian Romantic concertos are beyond you
- concertos with dissonance (modern?) don't interest you, and
- you don't want to learn a concerto you won't like.

Apart from your leanings towards the Romantic literature, we don't know what you might or might not like; what you might like initially and quickly tire of or what you might not like on first hearing but which might come dearer to you as you become more familiar.

The elimination of the Russian Romantic literature would certainly eliminate some of the rest of European Romantic concertos as well, I would think as they are on a technical level of some of the Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, (Brahms 1 and 2, Chopin 1 and 2, Liszt 1 and 2, and Schumann, among others)

That doesn't leave much and, as bplary said, we hardly know how well you play your current repertoire, nor how quickly you learn memorize and absorb new material. I don't think that your current repertoire is necessarily any indication of what you could do with a large work such as a concerto.

My only suggestions would be the Grieg or the Saint-Saens Second, but even these have third movements that are considerably more difficult than the opening two. Moreover, I would think it highly inadvisable to spend the time and effort preparing for a competition without a teacher, or do you plan to study with a teacher in preparation for the competition?

Regards,

Medtner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree with BruceD's advice, and with his suggestions, too.

And I'm curious: Which one was the 'moderately easy' concerto by Mozart that failed to capture your interest? Assuming it wasn't the d-minor -- you mention you have the score already -- I think that's another you might consider if you do find it appealing.

Listen to concertos and pick one you like. Learning Rachmaninov's second, and I could easily state that if I didn't absolutely love the piece to the point where I analyze it for fun, I'd have stopped a long time ago.
But don't let yourself get pressured into a piece just because "all your friends" play it, etc. If they play a technically difficult piece badly and you play a technically easier piece very well, you win. (in my book, you only win or lose. . . hahaha)

Thanks for all of your help!

Bruce, I plan to find a teacher again, although I haven't had one for six months or so now. I've been searching but can't find any; these past few days I wrote to two conservatories and the local symphony orchestra, awaiting their reply.

I'm sorry I wasn't clear earlier. Although I'm more fond of the romantic works, I am not completely shut to classical works. I've played and enjoyed many Mozart Sonatas... But you know how beethoven's 1st concerto is more classical while the emperor represents a more romantic influence? I would prefer the 4th/5th to the first, in that sense.

I'll try to post recordings once I get to use a suitable piano. I have a DP and it's currently broken (no touch sensitivity due to too much beethoven), so that might take some time. Usually I can find a way to use a church/school piano and maybe record something there?

That's right, I understand where you're coming from, bplary... The thing is that many people play hard works abysmally just to say they've done it, not well though. My last ABRSM grade and exam was ABRSM 8 though, that was about two years ago.

Try a Bach concerto. Not tremendously difficult to play technically, but if you did a good job with the partita, then it's a great chance to show that you are a musician, not a technician.

I played the first movement of the D minor, didn't do it very well, and I hope to revisit the whole concerto again.

Shostakovich 2 is a Russian concerto within reach. It's not as flashy, but the 2nd movement is as beautiful as anything Chopin ever wrote, and there are plenty of moments in the first and last movements to dazzle the audience.

@ Kreisler, I will definitely consider that... Considering one Shostakovich symphony really left me amazed, i should look into it.

Somebody mentioned Chopin's First before. I mean, I've heard it played before, but It sounds so difficult! I've seen the score but don't possess it. I mean, isn't the chopin Concerto on par with being able to play all the op 10 etudes??

I did a moderate to OK part of the partita. My favorite part was hands-down the Capriccio, which I'm working on. It's about quasi-Argerich speed (listen to the one she played at verbier!), but I like it very much. It's baach but has a more swing-y rhythm, if that makes sense.

Not quite (he who can play all of Op. 10 in concert can play anything), but it is a big piece and there are better ways to start.

OP. 25 then? Does that put one at demigod level?

Given everybody's suggestions, I feel it best for me to just listen to all concertos named here and go with the one i like best! Of course, I would have to find a teacher in the meantime as well.

I personally think Shostakovich 1 is easier (and it's way more fun because it's so humorous)

Wasn't Shostakovich a bit depressing? I remember the symphony I heard was very depressing.. But I can play minor and major equally well. The first is C minor.

Have you played it before?

Question repeated:

It wasn't the D Minor. It was the one with the nice second movement, the Andante that is quite famous. I don't quite remember. parhaps it's the c major no 21.

(don't get me wrong, I liked the second movement, quite much infact, almost as much as the gran partita)

Thanks for clarifying! I'm guessing then that the d-minor doesn't really move you enough either to be a candidate. (I know it's 'overplayed', but figured it the technical challenge would be suitable ... if you could get into it musically.)

Try the Ravel Concerto in G.

Would the Bartok 3 work? I've never played the work or even fooled around with the score (only listened to it)... I know the Bartok 2 is a monster but I've always been curious about the difficulty of the Bartok 3 and what it's comparable to.

The Ravel isn't the left hand only one though, right?

About "monster" pieces... I feel it might be better to do something easy/moderate and do it well rather than being like the people who do Rach2/Prok3 and butcher it? Although Prok 1-2 sound almost manageable..

Prok 2? Manageable??!?!?!!

Listen again....1 maybe, 2 definitely not.

Definitely

Definitely

Not...

Yeah, Prok 2 blows 3 out of the water in difficulty, lol...

I've heard the 1st movement of the Prok 3 is fairly manageable if you have good technique. Don't even think about Prok 2...that piece is for the super virtuosos with demonic technique and inhuman endurance.

There's two Ravel concertos. One for LH. One for both hands. Frankly, I don't like either of them.

really now? My friend recently told me that she's starting the Prok 2 or already halfway through it for a similar but different competition soon! That is quite scary. She did the Mendelssohn g Minor in Freshman Year (2 years ago). I don't know about this... Then again I did have another friend who played Rach3 during elementary/middle school... Quite the loony.

IMO, the Ravel concertos are both amazing.

Have you taken a look at Beethoven?? The first and third concertos are popular and are good introductory concertos of you have a solid foundation working for you.

Maybe Liszt's 1st concerto or Schumann. Chopin 1 is much more difficult than those 2 technically imo. WHat about Beethoven 3rd? OH... maybe you can try Gershwin's concerto

I'm doing Totentanz now, a great one-movement Liszt piece that's a lot easier than it sounds.

Is it easier than it looks? i just glanced at it on IMSLP and almost fainted...

I know someone who learnt the Prok 3 for their first concerto.

The first movement of Prokofiev 3 can work as a "first" concerto. Someone with solid technical training can handle it, and musically it's attractive and straightforward. The 2nd and 3rd movements are far more awkward.

Many seem to be focusing on what others have attempted. So what if someone played Rachmaninoff 3 at age 15 or if Tchaikovsky won last year? That's not a reason for choosing repertoire that's well above one's current abilities. I'm all for challenging yourself, but not for setting yourself up for frustration and failure. Let's face it, there just aren't any standard medium-diffiulty "big" romantic concerti. Zero. Among the "easiest" is Grieg, and it just goes up from there. There are several of classical concerti and a few 20th century concerti that fit, but nothing in the 19th century.

It's certainly not easy but it's definitely manageable! A lot of the flourishes are just the same pattern repeated over and over again, for example the cadenzas which open the piece.

Rach 2 might work... I think it flows in the hands and prok 2 is way harder than rach 2 btw. Judging from your "repertoire" the following shouldn't be a problem...

More manageable stuff would probably be:

Mendelssohn's Capriccio Brillante
Grieg's A minor Conecerto (even though I think u said this might be above u)
Schumann concerto
Weber's piano concerto
Dvorak's Piano Concerto (one of my favorite unknown romantic concertos)

I don't get why you just don't do the Grieg? It's romantic, fits well in the hands, and your "repertoire" is definitely on par or above technically to the Grieg. The Schumann works too. You sound so hesitant to learn anything and you almost imply you just want to play Prok 2 or Rach 3 or something hard saying that you want to play something of this magnitude. But in all honesty just try out some of the suggestions, and play them all and see which fits a comfortable technical and musical level.