On choosing pieces - generally and for recitals

Hi ShiroKuro

I'm with you entirely on playing music that I like. That said I have an extremely broad spectrum of music that I like to play, including the pieces I'm working on for my grade 8, and material for the various bands I play in. And even when I get invited to play on pop songs that I normally don't listen to, and certainly wouldn't buy (I don't stream - except YouTube), I generally end up having fun with them.

After finally moving house and getting my new Piano this month, I'm practising a lot for the first time since late 2023. And that has started me seriously looking at the Trinity ATCL diploma syllabus, which I hope to do post grade 8. There is so much marvellous music to choose from in this diploma. All that you'd expect in a 'classical' diploma syllabus (including Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin & Mozart etc), but also the slightly unusual like 2 pieces from Oscar Peterson's Candiana Suite. My favourite, and an almost certain selection for me will be Gershwin's own Piano arrangement of The Man I Love. Not only is it a wonderful arrangement, but I've been playing it for years (actually decades) anyway.

So the short answer to your question is, I play and choose what I like. Even for my exam music the choice of music is normally mine, not my teachers, though her input is always taken into account. As far as recitals are concerned I've done 3 with my current teacher and we normally decide between us what I should play. At her Xmas recital last year I did an Xmas medley of 2 songs, one (Silent Night) that I read straight out of a book and the other (Santa Claus is Coming to Town) which was my own arrangement based on a lead sheet.

I have too much sheet music! Since I started classical lessons again over 2 years ago I have bought a lot of 'classical' sheet music, which added to my already huge non-classical collection means I've got a few bookcases worth now.

Isn't music marvellous!

Cheers

ShiroKuro I have a sheet music addiction too. Can't be helped.

Did someone say sheet music addiction? I confess!

BartK Before I did some pruning, I had around 6 or 7 times that amount.

pianoloverus Before I did some pruning, I had around 6 or 7 times that amount.

Will get there, no worries.

And the forscore library on the ipad lists 790 items - a lot of duplicates of the printed scores...

As far as choosing new pieces, I have dozens on things on my bucket list. Great sources of material are the online recitals (you can hear what your peers are playing) and my local piano groups. I also like to explore "classical" piano pieces that no one else plays - the unsung heroes. Most amateur classical players rarely venture beyond the well worn path of Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Schumann and so forth.

Well, I got off the "Must Play Harder and Harder Pieces" train about 9 months ago - shortly after I broke my femur. At age 71. I struggle enough with about grade 7 to make it seem like I am accomplishing something. I realize that I will never play the really difficult things. I could hack away at them and play them under tempo with lots of mistakes, but that is not very attractive for me. I want to play for others, either live or virtual, so I like to pick things I can play without being too ashamed of my efforts. I don't mind spending several moths on something if I really like it and I am making progress. When progress stops or becomes too agonizingly slow I have to set it aside and try something else. Bach's Italian Concerto is one such piece - I have tried several times to make progress but stall and lose interest. On the other hand Grieg's Wedding Day came together fairly quickly (90 days or so).

Luckily there are tens of thousands of pieces I can choose from. I keep a database of every piece I have performed either online or in person - up to about 150 now...

Wow! Based on what you all have posted my sheet music collection is tiny! Yet I think I'm already at MABLE. I have the complete Beethoven Sonatas, out of which I think I've played maybe 4 movements. Yeah, I don't think I'll play them all. Also complete WTC. I've learned maybe three preludes and two fugues.

But I get it! It's really cool to have the scores for all that great music!

Choosing a recital piece, for me, is hit & miss. I get them from books, online sheet music sites, YouBoob, and so on. I try to pick pieces that are in my skill level range. Sometimes I miss that mark but the idea is to always be in my level or stretching just a little bit.

Recitals shouldn't be a contest of will between you and the music. It should be a performance showcasing your abilities as they are at the time. So, pick something you can play, and that you want to play, and play it.

I like to structure recitals around a theme! Often, that will start with a piece that I really want to include in the recital — from there, I figure out a theme and fill in the rest with a preference towards music I already know, so I don't end up with a program that's majority new music to me. Other than that, I like to have lots of contrast (eras, styles, moods, etc. vs. e.g. playing a whole Schubert sonata), and either end big or end sweet. Some examples:

Jr. recital many years ago: Eine Kleine Tanzmusik (dance-themed music)

• J.S. Bach - English Suite No. 3 in G minor, BWV 808
• Chopin - Polonaise in F-sharp minor, Op. 44
• Liszt - Mephisto Waltz No. 1

Note: (this program was somewhat incomplete due to not being able to learn enough music in time lol, would have filled in some smaller e.g. Brahms/Schubert waltzes or Chopin mazurkas for additional contrast)

Half recital coming up: Works by French composers

• Franck-Bauer - Prélude, fugue et variation
• Lili Boulanger - D’un vieux jardin
• Dutilleux - Piano Sonata: iii. Choral et variations
• Debussy - Clair de lune

Some other ideas I've had: "Heaven and Hell" (religious and demonic inspired music), "The Criminal Piano" (recital of all transcriptions/arrangements), "TheBoringPianist chases the American Dream" (American music), something nature-themed, etc.