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After I finished my last recital earlier this month, I started working on a new program right away. Let me share some of my plans so far. I know what the first half will be, and the second half is still in some speculation. For the first part, which I am working on now, I feel that most of it falls into my fingers fairly easy and thus minimizes the amount of time I need to work on things, leaving more time for more difficult works in the second half.

This is the first part:
Bach English suite in g minor
Mozart Sonata K.333 (I am doing a Mozart sonata after the last Beethoven I did so I can focus on more difficult pieces in the second part)

Now for the second half, my firt idea is to do a selection of Debussy preludes, and etudes, and then finish with Chopin. (2 etudes and the Ballade in g minor)

I could also learn a large work for the second part, like a Prokofiev or Scriabin sonata, or even a large romantic work like Kreisleriana or the 3rd Chopin sonata. My probelm with this approach is that the recital may be a bit too heavy with 3 large works (The English suite, Mozart sonata, and one of the above) and smaller works like the Debussy I mentioned in my first idea would work better. What are some opinions on this?

I am not too sure what my college professor will want me to learn in the fall, so if it is drastically different, at least I will have worked on something else that can help in other areas (especially the Bach and the etudes).

When planning a recital program, I try to keep competitions in mind as well, if I want to try my hand at one, I already will have most of the necessary repertoire instead of having to work on new things on short notice. I also want to work on a concerto later on, first starting with Mozart or Beethoven. The ones I have looked at the most are the d minor k.466 of Mozart and Beethoven's c minor concerto, both of which I think are good for a competition. As to the modern/romantic concerto, I have not looked at anything seriously yet, although I do not really want to do any of the Rachmaninoff ones. (Maybe Chopin or Prokofiev)

"Three wrong notes and it must be serialism." --me

CrashTest, It sounds like you've got a handle on things--good on you!

Why not stick in a few of Prokofiev's short pieces? - the 'Visions fugitives' for example.

I agree...I think the short pieces in the second half will be better. Perhaps a selection of Chopin preludes, a little set of Prokofiev, some ( like you mentioned) Debussy? That way things are varied, and you don't just have a whole set of multi-movement large works.
Maybe a couple of Rach preludes in there would be cool, too.

I would put in only Debussy preludes and etudes as smaller pieces for now, since I have much more of an affinity for them then I do for Rachmaninoff preludes or the Prokofiev Visions. This way I can still maintain a large piece, the Chopin Ballade, but it will not too large as to disrupt a proper flow.

Ooo! Ooo! Support for the Visions Fugitives; I hope you don't throw them out immediately... why don't you like them as much? Of course, I do love Debussy's preludes, so I can see where you are coming from...

Also, that Bach suite is No. 3, right? I've played the gigue from it, and it's an absolute blast! Also, the prelude is fantastic. Kudos on your selection!

Don't get me wrong, I do like the Prokofiev piece a good deal, but the entire Debussy sound just connects with me on a greater level. I like Debussy mostly for his pianissimos and beautiful sonorities, such as can be found in a good deal of the preludes, and even the etudes.

I don't really want something to make a big sound in this part of the program, that is why Rachmaninoff and the Prokofiev really do not suit me in this spot. Of course, depending on the prelude and etudes I choose of Debussy, I can balance things a bit more.

Something else that I thought of, that may change the second half a bit. I am not sure exactly when I will be able to do a full recital in college, and if it is only at the end of 4 years, then I do not have to have that program in mind righ now. With that on the table, I could work on a large work for the second half, like the Schumann Kreisleriana, and not have to worry about the length of the recital because I can and most likely will switch pieces around in the future anyway, and I will still have smaller works to play in whatever student recitals or oppurtunities present themselves at college. Any thoughts on this, or should I stick with the shorter pieces in the second half just in case?