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It's called crowd-sourcing. the kid is just looking for ideas, no need to lecture him/her just because s/he asked our opinions!

Given the context and the nature of the question, it seems pretty strange to me to seek advice on pieces best for him/her ("The problem I am having is choosing the best piece for ME.")from complete strangers on an internet forum who know nothing about his skills, abilities and interests.

So, yes, some people might well think that he does need to do some thinking for himself and that his questions should be directed at people who know something about him as a musician.

I think something 20th century (or 21st) would be a good idea....Estampes, Images, Miriors, Sonatas by Scribin, Prokofiev, Berg, Griffies etc would all be acceptable choices...maybe Rzewski 4 Pieces (a favorite of mine)?

Except the OP agreed with the post you quoted and seems to have realized the approach I suggested was the appropriate way to proceed.

If he's familiar with a reasonable amount of the piano literature, he and his teacher are, I think, markedly better sources of possible pieces than posters who know little or nothing about him or his playing. If he is reasonably familiar with the piano literature he already knows the suggestions given.

Especially when people suggest a single piece, even if they knew the poster very well which they of course do not, my first thought is ...of all the hundreds of possible pieces why did you choose that one?

If we're talking about Curtis-level repertoire, then you'll need something like:

2nd Rachmaninoff Sonata
Liszt Vallee d'Obermann, Dante Sonata, Don Juan
Prokofiev 6th sonata
Stravinsky Petrushka
Barber Sonata

I know of someone who auditioned for and was accepted to Curtis last year. In middle school and high school, she won and placed in several regional and national competitions, had given several solo recitals and concerto performances, was featured in a "From the Top" broadcast on NPR, and had participated in at least two important festivals (PianoTexas and IIYM.) I don't know if she auditioned at Curtis with these works, but her repertoire in the past few years included Beethoven Op. 22 and Op. 57, Rachmaninoff Corelli Variations, Chopin Rondo in Eb Op. 16, Kapustin Variations Op. 41, etc...

Keep in mind that Curtis (and most other top-tier schools) don't just look at the audition. They look at your performance experience as well, as evidenced by participation in festivals and competitions over the course of several years.

Oh! The Berg sonata is a great idea, why didn't I think of that? lol

Read what Kreisler says, and think about whether a top-notch school is for you. The reputation that makes people think that a school is top-notch is often on the basis of the reputation of the instructors as performers, as well as the reputation of the alumni. A great performer may not be a great instructor, nor a great match for you. The school's ability to cherry-pick their students means that many of the alumni did not need especially great instruction. It is all too easy to turn out great alumni when you can pick great students. It is much more difficult to take good students and make them great.

I recently tuned for a Juilliard graduate in piano who felt she got very little from her time there. I had talked to her because she had a top-notch piano that sounded terrible in her room, and I had hoped that she would have had at least a little background in what can be done to make a piano sound better. But she said all they wanted her to do there was learn repertoire. It was not enough in either of our opinions.

How about a couple of [i]devilishly]\i] difficult works, and known? Wondering if it would be interesting to throw something like that to the list (and provide scores for the jury)... ? Each one lasts more than 10 minutes so you're fine there, and each one is definitely difficult, so you're covered there as well!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk-FjRbyhd8

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grGh-U26Db4

I bet you were talking about Chelsea Wang. Heard her once in a NYC competition; she is very good.

At Curtis level, I bet many use something like Barcarolle for their slow Chopin. The fast Chopin ones are also rather long and, of course, difficult.

Eh, I think op.10 no.4 is adequate for "fast Chopin" unless they were looking for something longer. Aside from the most infamous 4 etudes that one is probably the hardest?

How about Scriabin 5? It's VERY hard and might even give you some breathing room because even people who know that piece well probably can't pick out any mistakes.

I can pick out mistakes in Scriabin 5 and I'm nowhere near the level of Curtis faculty.

Schumann Symphonic Etudes.

I can pick out mistakes in the Scriabin 5th Sonata and I'm nowhere near the level of Kreisler.

I can pick out mistakes in 'Hot Cross Buns'.

Today I discussed with my piano teacher the repertoire for my Curtis Institute of Music Audition. Here is what we decided.:)

1. J.S. Bach WTC D Major Prelude and Fugue
2. Beethoven Sonata Op. 27 No. 1
3. Slow Chopin: Mazurka in C sharp minor Fast Chopin: Etude in C sharp minor
4. Copland Piano Variations

That'll be just fine. Good luck and play well. Let us know how it went! Where else are you auditioning?

Thank you Orange Soda King! I'm pretty excited to start working on these pieces. I'm also looking into Eastman and Wartburg College at this time.