Originally posted by C.V. Alkan:
It's unfair to catagorize all of Gottschalk's works as easy, and therefore not worth playing. (Not that you did Goldberg. Actually, you did quite the opposite). Many people do this and Gottchalk's works are certainly worth attention by any virtuoso pianist. His "Union", for example, is a giant virtuoso piece. I agree with Goldberg - the Grnad Tarantelle is worth taking a look at.
My favourite Gottschalk piece (I do enjoy the "Union" as well) is his Concert Caprice on "Battle Cry for Freedom." I do agree with iamcanadian, though, and find most of Gottschalk's works to be repetitive and some can come across as rambling and "overlong" even though they are only 7 minutes or so. I'm not sure what it is about him...virtuostic, but not...poetic, but not substantial...I can't quite describe it, but something about him puts me off from truly enjoying the music. (all that being said I still think the Grand Tarantelle deserves some more attention, especially from beginners--not to say that Quidam is quite *that* beginner, heh)
I forgot it was meant for a competition, though. I agree that it is certainly too easy for one of those. Here are a few unsure suggestions: Liszt's Hungarian Fantasy, Chopin's Fantasy in A major for Piano and Orchestra, or Chopin's Variations on "La ci darem la mano."
o that Beethoven. Just full of surprises.