My highschool will hold a talent show soon, and I was wondering if it would be a good decision to play it in. I will be the only one playing classical music, the other people will be doing things such as dance, singing and (gasp!) rock music. How would the the audience respond to classical music in the middle of such a quasi-circus act?! I would think the audience (mostly teens, some parents) would succumb to the to noisy drums or showy dances. If I do play, what in the world would they like, since they aren't a seasoned audience (classical music wise).
The first advice i recieved was "Play Mozart!". Catchy melody, not too complicated- but it is morally wrong to play the work of a great master with such wrong intentions! Any advice on what I should play? It has to be fairly short, so an entire sonata is out of the question. This is my list of possible choices:
Liszt: La Campanella, Hungarian Rhap. 6 or Transcendental etude 7
Mozart: Rondo of k 331 (alla turca)
Chopin: An etude or a Polonaise
These are what I feel would most cater to the tastes of the general music liking people, but I am yet to choose. Thanks!

My suggestion would be going with the biggest and most powerful sounding piece that you know. Audiences that don't listen to classical music will be very impressed by that.

I was in the exactly same situation a couple of years ago, except I didn't quite think so much about it before the show. I just realized that I was the only piano/classical performer during the middle of it!

I agree with Amy that you should play something fancy and showy, ideally from the Romantic works, which will also be familiar for the audience. I think Chopin Polonaises will work fine, especially the really popular ones, and maybe some Liszt too.

As for that talent show in which I played . . . it turned out quite well and I think the audience is reasonably impressed. And you never know . . . I would find it hard to believe that out of all the hundreds of people that would go to a talent show, there is not one who is even remotely familiar (or at least not disliking) classical music. Will there be teachers? I would think that they will tend to be more receptive as well.

Many years ago (1982) when I was a junior in high school, I had the exact same situation you describe. Our high school talent show had prizes for the three acts judged best by the audience (by applause volume). We had quite the variety of strange acts, needless to say. I did enter the show. They had a reasonbly decent Yamaha 5'6 grand, if I remember correctly. I played Chopin's Revolutionary Etude. This went over extremely well and I won first prize on the applause-o-meter by a wide margin. Many of the students (including some I didn't know very well) told me afterwards that they thought I was the only entry in the show who demontrated any actual talent. Oh, and I got several dates out of it too.

So, I would say, feel free to enter. You might be surprised at how seriously some high school students will take your performance. Of course, I guess that depends on the school.

[ October 26, 2001: Message edited by: MikeC65 ]

Classical music can work quite well, and it doesn't have to necessarily be a "classic". I played Allegro Barbaro by Bartok in a High School talant show. I didn't win, but I won the respect of everybody who was in attendance, including teachers who started giving me better grades Even the winner's father came up to me later and was quite disgusted at the judges for not giving me first place instead. I wasn't really that concerned - I had already won a gold medal with it against a tough class. Anyway, I'm not saying this to brag, just to say that playing a classical music even at a talant show can be rewarding and successful. People may see you in a new light. So go for it!

Ryan

liszt and chopin aren't great masters?!

DEFINATELY go for it. I think any Liszt, Chopin, or even the Rondo Alla Turca would go over well. I agree though, something powerful may be a crowd-pleaser too. In closing, refer again to first sentence.

Josh

Talent show ay? Well, maybe try Chopin's Watlz in C# Minor op. 64 no. 2. Although it is not a "crashing" peice, it has parts that are played fairly quickly and it is easy to play. Its a good show off peice for those need to think of something fast. If you want something some more showoffy, try the Moonlight 3rd or something from the appassinata sonata be Beethoven. These are a bit on the difficult side though. Or prehaps the first movement of Beethoven's Waldstein Sonata.
On a side note, I've always thought that a good talent show act would be a Victor Borge type act. With a little bit of piano music and a comedy act all wraped in one.

I forgot to mention, check out the piano before you decide what to play. The poor piano was the deciding factor for playingg the Bartok - passage work would have been impossible. The other suggestions made are very good, as long as the piano is up to it.

Ryan

Play a Chopin Etude! They're short and both technically and musically difficult. Most of them are fast, and a few are quite loud. (Specifically, I think you might try Op. 10 no. 4,5, 12 or Op. 25 No. 11, 12)

The school piano is a fairly new Yamaha and in relatively good condition, even though it recieves the occasional pounding from those students who like noise. Right now I am leaning towards the Liszt and Chopin etudes, but the Mozart piece (rondo of k 331) is also strangely attracting my interest!

Believe me, the audience would love to hear a piano piece in the mists of all that typical...noise.

Try Grieg's "Wedding Day at Troldhaugen". It is a beautiful peice and has moments in it where the keyboard is being smashed to peices. or try Mussorgsky's "The Big Gate of Kiev" from Pictures at an exhibition. The third movement from either Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata or Moonlight Sonata, or the first movement from his Waldstein Sonata.

On the other hand ...

The piece you play doesn't have to be big and flashy. There's going to be enough "noise" (excuse me!) at this talent show, anyway. Why not wow your audience with something extremely beautiful - an oasis of calm amid the storm - and perhaps you'll even win a convert or two.

In any case, the idea of checking out what the piano will bear before hand is an excellent suggestion. Most schools have no respect for pianos and have no idea how to maintain them.

Foremost, however: you should pick something you love. If you love what you play there will be someone in your audience - perhaps in greater numbers than you suspect - who too will love and appreciate your performance.

Regards,

May I suggest Khachaturian's Sabre Dance. That is always, with no exception, a crowd pleaser!

What's wrong with rock music?
Ha, I listen to Marilyn Manson almost as much as I listen to Beethoven.
:p

You call Marilyn Manson Rock Music?

CLAIRE DE LUNE!!! So perfectly composed, when played just right, it will knock the audiance dead. Not too much piano bashing going on here, but a very beautiful peice.

I think it's a wonderful idea to play a classical piece at the talent show. Once upon a time, when I was in high school, I had either played solo ("Love and Devotion" by .... ugh, composer escapes me, but it started with a D, Louis D ... something, someone German and also played a Chopin Etude as well) or accompanied a singer or a clarinettist. Ah, those were the days .... but anyway, we were pretty much well received. We were the only group who were not doing some sort of dance routine to the popular music of the day, so that gave us some extra brownie points.

Your classical music will be a gem. Everyone will warm to it, and you'll probably get first prize.

Playing in public always provides me with a positive learning experience. Any exposure is good exposure, they say.

I agree that the Waldstein is a beauty! The first time I heard the Rondo section my spine almost electrocuted me! In fact, I was trying to play it tonight (after listening to it on CD for months). Fantastic stuff!

Whatever you do, people will talk about you and think about your wonderful performance for days afterwards.

I heard a great proverb today - "A field will never be ploughed if you turn it over in your head".

Well, good luck, if you choose to enter.

The talent show is this friday, and I decided that I will play the Chopin Op. 40, no 1 Polonaise. I chose this one over some of the other pieces (Liszt etudes, assorted Chopin) because I feel most comfortable with it in such short notice, plus I am limited on the amount of time I have so I have to cut some repeats (although I really don't want to!). I hope it goes well, I am the only one playing classical music, most of the other people will showcase their talents in song or dance. I will tell you how it went!

[ November 14, 2001: Message edited by: CrashTest ]

Good luck to you Crash, I hope you do well. I wouldnt worry about the "clash" between the classic and the current. There will definitly be more than a few there that will look forward to your performance and many others that will enjoy it even if its is new to them. Plus of course, its good pracice to experience playing in public.

I'll look forward to your post-concert post.

Good luck, CrashTest!

Regards,

Best of luck, CrashTest. I'm sure you'll do fine.

Crashtest: I wish you the best of luck. As they say in show biz: Knock em dead!

I just came back from the talent show, and I am very satisfied! Right before I went on stage, I mentioned to someone that my only goal for the night was to convey a message through music, if I won or not was secondary. The judges got the message and I won in the end, very exciting! I played the Polonaise well I think, one little wrong note here or there but it went well.

Hey, Congratulations!!!! Hopefully there was a large cash prize involved! But even if there wasn't, I'm sure that having the opportunity to convey your musical message was worth the effort (and worry) of preparing.

That's wonderful! Glad it went well! I'm pretty sure that the audience (and possibly the judges) would not have known you made the mistake. In addition to all that, it's also given you some experience performing in public as well. It's such a relief when it's over, isn't it?

Thanks for keeping us posted

Its Saturday, Crash. How'd it go? :rolleyes:

They had to make a slight schedule change before the show, so I had to be the first act in the show! I wasn't sure if that was bad or good, but at least I got to enjoy the rest of the show without being nervous about my performane. The nerves turn into inspiration when I start playing, I really enjoy playing in public.

Wow! Well done I'm incapable of playing properly in public, it literally makes me ill! To actually enjoy it is a fantastic facility

Congratulations Crash, glad it went well.
(previous questionable post was due to me not realizing there were TWO pages to this thread.......sorry. Congrats again.

Hey Crash Test, that's great! Congratulations!

Even more impressive is the fact that you actually enjoyed it. What a wonderful gift, to be able to both play well AND share your performance with others. I'm afraid I, too, view solo performances right up there with having a root canal. Funny, though, when I play with an ensemble I'm not at all nervous.

How's the piano shopping coming along?

Nina

Crash Test,
Congratulations! … That’s great that you decided to participate and compete in your schools talent show. Did anyone else “stand out” that you particularly liked in there performance, and what prize did you win?
Regards:
Allen

Crashtest: Congratulations! I'm glad that you did well and that you enjoyed it! What kinds of prizes were given out and what did you get? Also, what were some of your competitors doing for their act?

Congratulations! I told you it would go well. Nice selection - you must have knocked them out!

Ryan

Since I was the first performer in the show, I got a chance to enjoy the rest of it without the nerves! I enjoyed many of the other people's performances, some of the other piano/singing acts were nice. I got a gift certificated for Borders bookstores, I could not of wished a better prize; I already bought a Beethoven biography (Solomon) and a few other things that I wanted! Thank you very much for the interest.

( Nina, My piano shopping is going well, I am just trying to find the "perfect" one, but it is well on pace.)!