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I'm planning to apply for the conservatory here in Montreal, the deadline is march 1st.

I've come up with the following program:
*Bach, WTC I Pre&fugue in G minor
*Beethoven, 1st and 3rd mvt from Pathetique sonata
*Chopin, Etude Revolutionaire
*Chopin, Ballade in G minor

The Bach piece is finished, last touches; the 1st mvt of Pathetique is only just finished,needs lots of polishing, i sight read the 3rd mvt (it had some work abt 2 years ago); the etude needs technical attention but is completed; the ballade is far from over. I can play almost all of it slowly with a clean correct technique (interpretation needs work) but i haven't started on the con fuoco part

So is the program too ambitious for such a deadline? should i apply instead to the intermediate level? What other pieces would you suggest?
Also, any info about the Quebecese Conservatory is welcome!

They don't have specific requirements for the audition?

If it were me playing that program and starting from scratch, I'd give myself about 10-12 months. since you've got a head start, it seems doable.

As to the program itself, I'd go for a more difficult Beethoven sonata and if it's necessary to make that happen, switching to an easier piece than the Ballade. I'd also drop the Chopin etude and replace it with a brief (about 5 minutes) 20th century piece. Time is definitely a consideration though, so these suggestions may be ambitious.

Sorry: I have nothing but questions!

It's actually called the "Quebecese" Conservatory? What sort of word is that? Do they have a website?

What are the audition requirements? Why are you planning two Chopin pieces and nothing Impressionist or Modern?

Regards,

If that's the program you want to play, it seems VERY doable, with enough hard work you should get it before march. If you really buckle down for a few hours per day, and practice properly, you can definitely totally nail it.

Do you mean this school?

http://www.conservatoire.gouv.qc.ca/index.asp

If so, it looks like they have several campuses, so which do you mean?

12 months for the preparation of 45 minutes of music?
That seems enough time for anyone. 2 months would be a stretch.... from now till march is fine. of course, this depends on how much you practice. On 1 hour a day I'd say it would be difficult. On 4 hours it should be easy.

Oh yes, i forgot to mention the program requirements :p
It's the Conservatoire de musique du Quebec, the Montreal campus

They want:
1 Baroque piece (Bach, Handel or equivalent)
2 mvts from a Beethoven or Mozart sonata
1 etude, chopin, clementi or moszkowski
1 piece, free choice

I just went for the pieces that i was sure i could finish before march 1, i had already started working independantly on those so i though it'll be a good idea instead of choosing a completely new program and starting from scratch.

Yes, the 2 chopin pieces seem too much...
Right now i can manage a few hours a day, but i start classes next week, i'd have to see where those fit

I don't know how much emphasis they admission committee is going to place on repertoire and programme balance - probably not very much - but would it not be more musically effective and show of your talents more broadly if you were to play more contrasting movements of the Beethoven: say, movements 1 and 2, or movements 2 and 3?

Regards,

Instead of the two chopin pieces, which seems a bit too much indeed, I'd pick something post-romantic or modern even. The Ballade is beautiful of course, but I think you have enough 'virtuoso' pieces with the pathetique and the revolutionary.

I would suggest an Etude or a prelude by Rachmaninov (op 32 n°3 or op 33 n°4 come to mind) or a prelude and fugue by Shostakovitch. My personnal favorites are n°6 in b minor and n°24 in d minor. I think the d minor fugue is perfect for a demonstration piece, it's very challenging at some parts and has some virtuoso moments but it also allows you to show a great range of emotions, from the quiet and very shy exposition to the explosive climax.
Plus those pieces are rarely played, whereas everyone plays something like the ballade, so you'll surprise the judges !

If reonat is suggesting a Prelude and Fugue by Shostakovich, and he is, may I say that the fifth and seventh are charming, as well as the seventh being very impressive.

You're right, I tend to prefer pieces in minor keys but amongst the ones in Major, 5th and 7th do stand out. I like 9th too, but the prelude is maybe a bit too easy for an audition piece.
If you want to demonstrate speed you can play the 21st prelude. The recording by Keith Jarett of that one is dizzying.
Actually I'm listening to them again right now and appart from 3 and 15, well I like them all, it's such an amazing set. The 20th fugue is beautiful too.

I just wanted to put in something on a different topic. You say your audition date is on March 1st. According to my teachers (I'm auditioning for Ithaca, Crane, and Fredonia), I should be choosing a date that is more towards the middle of their schedule. What are the other dates you have to choose from? Colleges can only take on so many students. The later you play, the more perfect your audition must be to get them to put you on the list. I'm shooting for January, which will give me enough time to learn my pieces, put me in the early middle of audition dates for Ithaca, and early on for Fredonia and Potsdam. Of course, my repertoire will be much easier than yours, with the exception that we're both learning the Pathetique. BTW, I agree w/ Bruce. The second movement is gorgeous, full of lines and will show a lot of musicality on your part. I personally find the third movement to be a little lackluster after the first two.

Thanks for all your ideas, pianist2008 also, that didn't even occur to me!

Ok then, so i chose the 2nd mvt over the 3rd for Beethoven.
I also like the idea of a Shosakovitch prelude and fugue instead of the ballade. So reonat, since i also like minor keys, and with pianist2008's note in mind (i should be able to finish the prelude and fugue by january or february) what pieces would you suggest?

Keep in mind that for the jury/examiner(s) you probably shouldn't select all your pieces in minor keys.

Regards,

Some colleges/music schools/conservatories have all submissions required by a certain date and then they choose the audition date. It may not be the prospective student's choice.

Regards,

Well I would definitely give the 24th in d minor a shot. The prelude can be learnt really quickly, it's short and technically not too demanding, you'll spend most of your time working on the interpretation.
The fugue is very demanding both musically and technically and it's pretty long (count around 7-8 min depending on what speed you choose to play it) but frankly it's very much worth the hard work you'll put into it, for me it's one of the most beautiful pieces written for solo piano.
The 6th prelude and fugue in b m comes second. I just love how softly the fugue develops and unfolds
I love the 16th prelude in b flat m and it's not *too* hard, although it really depends on what tempo you choose, but I'm not too fond of the 16th fugue.
If you want something really atmospheric and mysterious go for the 4th in e m. The fugue is very peaceful and melodic. The introduction of the second theme is absolutely incredible.
The 20th in c m is amazing too. The prelude is nice but the fugue is just incredible.

And as someone else suggested, so far all the pieces you have are in minor, you might wanna pick something in major. In that case I'll suggest 5 and 7th too.
5 is so delicate and heartwarming.

But honestly, these are all based on my personal preferences and you might not like any of the ones I suggested. The best thing to do is get a recording of those pieces, (preferably the one by Keith Jarett, which I think is unbelievably good and so high above all the others I've heard it's not even funny) and listen thoroughly to all of them while looking at the sheet music, so you get an idea of how hard the ones you like are.
It may sound stupid to say but pick a piece you really like and not something that will sound good in front of the jury. If you pick something just for the sake of impressing it'll show and you'll deliver a poor performance.

Besides, if I was a judge in an audition and someone came and gave a good interpretation of the 24th i would say yes in a heartbeat. Showing you can play "mainstream" stuff is good but playing something rare shows that you have some curiosity, musical culture and originality.

Anyways, have fun ! Sounds like a nice program.

That is a very good advice! I think you should heed it.

If I'm not mistaken, Bosendorfer88 has already made that choice.

Thanks for the supporting vote.

Regards,

Ok, thanks for all your helpful comments, here's what i decided in the end...

Bach, WTC I pre& fugue in G minor
Beethoven, Pathetique mvt 1 & 2
Chopin, etude revolutionaire
Shostakovitch, pre& fugue 24

Hope all goes well

Bosendorfer88 :

Given the particular requirements of the Conservatory in question, I'd say that that looks like an excellent audition program. Good luck with it.

Regards,