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I've been playing piano for about 8 years, I want to record a tape for my application, my first piece is a Chopin Etudes piece, I want a second, very different piece (modern/dynamic), that has to be very very nice and very very hard to play.

Any suggestions?

By Crazayshiat (Crazayshiat) on Sunday, May 23, 2004 - 10:23 pm: Edit

i like george winston's thanksgiving. he's a new age pianist so the song is pretty modern.

By Ledzeppelin1000 (Ledzeppelin1000) on Sunday, May 23, 2004 - 10:25 pm: Edit

check out mussorgskys pictures at an exhibition and look at some of the stuff he has done, its so damn hard to play, its piano music first then made for a full orchistra

By Soozievt (Soozievt) on Sunday, May 23, 2004 - 10:47 pm: Edit

Ledzep...my daughter just played that in a recital! While she has played piano for eleven years and is good, she is not going into this field, nor is up to par with those who would be majoring in piano in college. But if you say that is damn hard to play, then I have just learned that she played something considered quite challenging (though played about 7 pieces in the recital besides this one). I did not realize the level!

Susan

By Nmoreno1 (Nmoreno1) on Sunday, May 23, 2004 - 11:01 pm: Edit

Rhapsody in Blue.

By Qt1396 (Qt1396) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 09:27 am: Edit

grieg piano concerto

By Grw (Grw) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 11:00 am: Edit

Hungarian Rhapsody

By Fairytoes (Fairytoes) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 11:48 am: Edit

schumann concerto--it is absolutely breathtaking and i love it SO much. i don't play the piano personally, but many family members, esp my mother, are ardent piano lovers.

and i must agree with Qt1396. grieg is beautiful as well, and technically easier to play. go for the grieg

By Wjb (Wjb) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 12:51 pm: Edit

Bear in mind that if you choose to play a concerto, someone else will have to play the secondi (the orchestra's part). I think you're better off playing something written for solo piano. If you want something somewhat more modern and dynamic, how about a Debussy prelude -- say the prelude from Suite Bergamesque or Pour Le Piano? They're about the same level of difficulty as some of the Chopin Etudes (don't know which one you plan to play) and make quite a dramatic statement.

By Travisp (Travisp) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 02:06 pm: Edit

Hungarian Rhapsody no.2

By Woogiewilly25 (Woogiewilly25) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 02:14 pm: Edit

I looooove pictures at an exhibition :o).

By Melbel219 (Melbel219) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 03:10 pm: Edit

Rachmaninoff Prelude in c# minor Op. 3 No. 2 (Can be found in Rachmaninoff selected works for piano edited by Murray Baylor, Alfred) It's a short piece, starts pretty simple.. and then has a dynamic ending. It's Rachmaninoff's most well-known piano work. I fell in love with it because i thought it told a story of pain, unreciprocated unconditional love, anger, and remorse... in about 5 minutes.

Rachmaninoff Prelude in g minor Op. 23 No. 4(Can also be found in Rachmaninoff selected works for piano edited by Murray Baylor, Alfred) the second part is haunting.. as a whole, it's not as dynamic as the others i have recommended... but still dynamic.

Brahms Rhapsody in g minor Op.79 No. 2 (Can be found in the Neil A. Kjos piano library, edited by Keith Snell, Piano repertoir level 10, Romantic and 20th Century).. a very dyanmic piece... just amazing.

Katchaturian Toccata (Can also be found in the Neil A. Kjos piano library, edited by Keith Snell, Piano repertoir level 10, Romantic and 20th Century) Perhaps the most modern/dynamic piece i have recommended. I love katchaturian because of the dissonance in the chords with deceptive resolutions.. this piece sounds harder than it actually is... it starts with a flourish and ends with a flourish.. and there is a very haunting middle section which acts as a sharp contrast to everything else that's going on.


these are among my favorite.. very dynamic pieces that sound very impressive and, while a little tricky to learn at first, are extremely rewarding. i find gershwin's rhapsody in blue is so well known that it's hard to pull off because everyone already knows what they want it to sound like.. good luck

By Qt1396 (Qt1396) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 03:42 pm: Edit

toccata by debussy, faust-waltz by gounod-lizst, or Prokofiev's Piano Sonata No. 6 in A major

By Whzup44412 (Whzup44412) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 04:01 pm: Edit

Sonata "Pathetique" Movements II and III by L.V. Beethoven- Great piece for college apps, separate movements show contrasting and different styles of play (speed vs. technique). Isn't all too difficult once you get the hang of it.

By Meggykewpie (Meggykewpie) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 04:58 pm: Edit

Ok, mostly everyone here listed romantic pieces that don't really contrast too well with chopin. If you want really modern, really out there, really difficult, really stunning, I would personally play Diabolical Suggestion by Prokofiev (or Suggestion Diabolique). It is short, EXTREMLY impressive and really impossible to play well. If you reallly want a contrasting piece I would go with this. Plus because its prokofiev, you can play a wrong note and it probably wouldn't sound too out of place Lemme know what you do!

By Meggykewpie (Meggykewpie) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 05:03 pm: Edit

Oh yeah I forgot to add, if you wanted something really constrasting going backwards in time, A good bach piece will definenlty be very faborable. Students rarely play Bach because it is so difficult, and playing Bach takes a different kind of intellect not required in Chopin and Beethoven. Most every college audition will REQUIRE you to have a baroque. For some nice bach pieces I would suggest any movement of any of the partitas, and a prelude and fugue is usually good. I would also stay away from overplayed beethoven sonatas like the pathetique, waldstein, appasionata, although they are difficult and sound cool, they are so famous that everyone has their own conception on how it should sound, and believe me, if you make a mistake they will definently know.

By Confused86 (Confused86) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 05:03 pm: Edit

rhapsody in blue, its classic jazz

By Nmoreno1 (Nmoreno1) on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 07:21 pm: Edit

If you want to take their breath away, I recommend:

Graceful Ghost Rag by William Bolcom. It is part of a three-piece set. The others are The Poltregeist and Dream Shadows. ALL THREE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

however, since you want contrast, I recommend you play the Poltregeist instead. The best I can describe it is a type of "techno" rag, as put by "The Perfessor Bill Edwards."

The link to the three MIDI files are (careful when copying and pasting!):

Graceful Ghost Rag: http://www.perfessorbill.com/midi/ghost1.mid

The Poltregist:
http://www.perfessorbill.com/midi/ghost2.mid

Dream Shadows:
http://www.perfessorbill.com/midi/ghost3.mid

If these links are removed, please e-mail me (in profile)

One last thing, another song from the Perfessor:

DIZZY FINGERS!
http://www.perfessorbill.com/midi/dzzyfngr.mid

That last one will amaze whoever you play it for (although, this may be one of those songs that has to be played in front of someone...nevertheless, it's an exact opposite of a typical Chopin piece!)

best of luck to you!

By Vdevluk (Vdevluk) on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 05:31 am: Edit

i dont play the piano, but i've always enjoyed people playig chariots of fire. just sounds so nice.

By Smiley3693 (Smiley3693) on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 03:36 pm: Edit

Khachaturian or however you spell it, very cool modern pieces, like Two Ladies Gossiping, not hard but sounds nice

By Tennizpro06 (Tennizpro06) on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 04:19 pm: Edit

how much time do you have? tcherpnein comes to mind.. i know i spelled that wrong.. there's one particular piece i can't remember but look into that guy. the piece i'm thinking of doesn't sound like nmoreno's suggestions. it's much more "contemporary" sounding ? something like that.. really interesting piece. and then if you have tons of time, there's two other pieces i can think of but each of those take about 10 minutes to play and they're difficult technically.

By Delacroix (Delacroix) on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 04:25 pm: Edit

I'd strongly suggest a piece from Ravel's "Miroirs." I played "A Boat on the Ocean" (translation of French). It's contemporary, so it contrasts well with Romantic Chopin. Also, Prokofiev's second sonata has some great movements. I played the last movement a few years ago, and its technical difficulty is high, but a truly enjoyable and demanding piece to play. Have fun!

By Thenarrator (Thenarrator) on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 09:08 pm: Edit

Liszt Transcendental Etudes....incredibly difficult, damn near impossible for many student pianists. hats off to u if u try it. Its essentially transcriptions of Paganni's Caprices for violin, for piano.

By Cookie33 (Cookie33) on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 09:51 pm: Edit

the tougher the piece (rachmaninoff's flight of the bumble bees example) the more amazed the music department and admission commitee will be. go for the challenging piece.

By Melbel219 (Melbel219) on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 09:56 pm: Edit

which is why i suggested Katchaturian Toccata... it sounds hellishly difficult.. fast, dissonant, syncopated... looks hellishly difficult.. but is easy to play once you figure out the patterns.

plus, it has that modern/dynamic sound that will contrast with your chopin etude

you will need to hear this to believe it.

By Athlonmj (Athlonmj) on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 10:05 pm: Edit

Schubert Impromptu in A, Opus 90 #2

I second Grieg Piano Concerto if you can play it...

By Thenarrator (Thenarrator) on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - 10:50 pm: Edit

grieg piano concerto sounds cool, but it really isn't that hard to play (technically), nor is it impressive to any critical musicians.

If this tape is for conservatories/music programs, then i personally wouldn't go with grieg. its way to over played.

Its not even a great piece of music. If you're playing the first movement, its the same motifs over and over again- theres no music, its just loud. Sure, a great musician could take any piece of music and make it sound great and milk whatever musicality is in it.....but i wouldn't play this for an audition (maybe a concerto competition). Not technically hard+ no music= bad audition piece, for it shows off nothing.

in addition to the liszt transcendental etudes, i'd also recommend Chopin 1st piano concerto. very musical, some very impressive chop work as well, altho u probably wouldn't want to play 2 pieces by the same composer.

By Wjb (Wjb) on Thursday, May 27, 2004 - 02:01 pm: Edit

As I understand the process, if you send a musical tape along with your application, the adcoms won't evaluate it themselves. They'll send it on to the college's music department for a ranking. So the folks who judge you will be serious musicians.With that in mind, I think it's a mistake to suppose that the people who hear your tape won't be able to discern mistakes, your true ability, or the difficulty of the pieces you've chosen.

By Up40love (Up40love) on Thursday, May 27, 2004 - 02:10 pm: Edit

I love Rachmaninoff.

Ok, anyhow...

I was talking to one of my friends who did his work-study in the undergrad office at Northwestern, and it's true that adcoms pass on the tapes to the music department for evaluation. He said that the piece you send depends largely on the person listening to it.

There are two extremes: you could send something familiar (eg Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #3--one of my specialties!) and they'll like it because they'll be able to gauge your ability to play it against someone who has recorded it professionally. You could also send them something rather obscure, because it'll show that you're not musically isolated and have various tastes.

I second the notions for Rachmaninoff's Flight of the Bumblebee rendition or any of this concertos, Kachaturian's Sabre Dance or Toccata, Beethoven's Pathetique sonata or the third movement of the moonlight, and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

By Meggykewpie (Meggykewpie) on Thursday, May 27, 2004 - 09:00 pm: Edit

"the tougher the piece (rachmaninoff's flight of the bumble bees example) the more amazed the music department and admission commitee will be. go for the challenging piece. "

you HAVE to be joking right? Any musician in their right mind would know that something technically more difficult does not necessarilly mean good. Every year I see hundreds and hundreds of kids go up to competitions trying to play hard pieces and hard sonatas like appassianata, waldstein. Most of the time the stundents get the notes, but there's just no musicality. Trust me, go with a piece you know you can nail and actually demonstrate something other than you can play hard stuff. I personally don't think Flight of the Bumblebee is a good idea, sure its hard, but does it really show musicality? It just shows you can move your fingers fast. (not saying the piece is bad, its freaking sweet, deifnently good for encores) Conservatories and music schools are looking for MUSICIANS not technicians. My piano teacher is on the piano faculty at a major music school (not going to say for privacy purposes), and she can't stress enough how they look down upon the kids playing music they're not ready for, and just go through the notes not showing musicality, because they hope to impress the faculty. Unless you can personally play the pathetique as good as a professor can, I really do not suggest you to play that piece because it mostly ends in disaster because of its different interpretations and the musicality it demands.

By Thenarrator (Thenarrator) on Thursday, May 27, 2004 - 10:13 pm: Edit

hell yeah, meggy. u tell em

By Alco (Alco) on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 05:57 am: Edit

Charles Ives Concorde Sonata is VERY modern

By Rhkid005 (Rhkid005) on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 09:24 am: Edit

OK. I am not a great pianist, nor do I plan on majoring in music in college. I have not dedicated my life to piano because I have so many other activities that I care about. However, I am pretty good, and I am thinking of submitting a CD when I apply to college.

I was thinking of:

Debussy: Arabesque #1 and/or Prelude from Suite Bergamasque

Beethoven: Apassionata movement #1 (I'm about halfway through and will work on it over the summer)

Bach: Not sure which piece, but he is my favorite composer (along with Debussy)... I have two complete French Suites in rep.

Does this selection sound good enough?

By Wjb (Wjb) on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 10:25 am: Edit

I think you've chosen a lovely and balanced selection from 3 distinct periods. Sounds good enough to me, as long as you play them convincingly. Technically, the Apassionata is more difficult than the Debussy (although it's certainly not child's play). Which French Suite are you thinking of? No. VI is such a lovely one. Good luck!

By Rhkid005 (Rhkid005) on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 11:33 am: Edit

I know numbers 2 and 3. I might work on 6 over the summer... they are are wonderful, although I think 6 is a bit lighter/happier than the others.

I could also do Gershwin's Prelude I.

Thank you for your kind words.

By Meggykewpie (Meggykewpie) on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 01:36 pm: Edit

Bach partita's are very fun and very nice to play, they are a little on the long side, Rhkid005, nice selection, if you can pull off the appassionata really well then more power to you because it is TOUGH and extremely hard to play convincingly.

By Snuffles (Snuffles) on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 02:55 pm: Edit

Aeolian harp etude (Ab) by chopin.

By Stfate1 (Stfate1) on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 03:21 pm: Edit

I also recommend the Khachaturian: Toccata.

I heard this performed several weeks ago. Toccatas give the feeling of improvisation, and that is exactly what this piece seems like to the listener. I would be impressed with anyone who plays this piece.

By Gkoukla (Gkoukla) on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 08:20 pm: Edit

Jardins su le plui (Gardens in the rain) by Debussy. It's perfect with the Chopin. All the best to you.

By Chasgoose (Chasgoose) on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 08:36 pm: Edit

I am doing Gershwin's Prelude #1! I don't like how it sounds when I play it as fast as Gershwin wrote it to be so I slowed it down and played around with it.

By Impostor (Impostor) on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 08:44 pm: Edit

Man, you GOTTA put Liszt. i believe he is one of the most modern ones concerning these types of music...
umm. I would go...
1. Debussy- Pour le piano (not so bad)
2. Chopin- Ballade 2.. the F major one (not so hard to play.)
3. Liszt- Paganini-Etuden, VI. All of the variations... (this one is a bit tough to play)
Good lcuk

By Isaman (Isaman) on Saturday, May 29, 2004 - 10:32 pm: Edit

Chopin's Ballade op 23 in Gm is quite challenging, and it sounds VERY nice .

By Wjb (Wjb) on Sunday, May 30, 2004 - 10:35 am: Edit

Story about the Khachaturian Toccata: One of my kids (an 8th grader now) is a serious pianist. He goes to camp for a month each summer, and brings his stack of music with him to practice. Two summers ago, when he went off to camp, his teacher, who has a great sense of humor, threw in an extra piece -- the Khachaturian Toccata -- announcing that it was easy but showy, and that it would "impress the girls." Moral of the story: Don't think you can pull one over on the music department of any college or university. Sometimes music that sounds simple is actually tough, and sometimes music that sounds tough is actually pretty easy. The pros know the difference. Choose music that will challenge you, but above all, choose music that you can play with proper technique and beautiful expression.

By Dinotopia (Dinotopia) on Sunday, May 30, 2004 - 11:36 pm: Edit

Keep it simple. If you like some technically difficult piece, you play very, very well, then go with the Liszt Mephisto Waltz, Transcendental Etude, Variations on a Theme by Paganini... you get the idea, right? If you can pull that off, and you're working on something of that calibre, that's your best bet.

If you're not a young music protege but you're a decently good pianist:

If you are technical:

Something Bach, e.g. a Prelude+Fugue, Partita, English Suite...

A sonata or concerto by Mozart

If you're more of a Rubinstein-type pianist who goes for the extreme passion but sometimes technically flounder:

Chopin's Ballades are gorgeous, self-containing pieces that don't carry the bulk of a sonata.

Other pieces/a sonata by Chopin too are great. Technically showy but your musicality really shines if you pull it off.

Beethoven sonatas are way too overplayed that you should be wary unless you're the type that takes the breath away at a masterclass... and they don't always suggest that you play something too long; Yale wants you to limit your tape to something like 10 minutes, right? So one, self-containing piece that shows off a wide range of your abilities is best.

By Greenapples016 (Greenapples016) on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 10:01 am: Edit

"Toccata in D Minor Op. 11" by Prokofiev is VERY dynamic and modernish. It's pretty difficult, but you'll get the hang of it once you've mastered the notes/chords/octaves. For a sample recording go to http://www.iclassics.com/iclassics/opus_result.jsp?opusId=10864

By Confused86 (Confused86) on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 12:46 pm: Edit

actually a really good piece would be beethoven's moonlight sonata, play the first and third movement, (skip the second because I hate it).

By Confused86 (Confused86) on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 12:47 pm: Edit

or play "return to Zanarkand" from FFX, an easy song to play, but it songs really nice, like crystals

By Irock1ce (Irock1ce) on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 01:23 pm: Edit

Waldstein Sonata by Beethoven (1st movement or 3rd; 3rd may be more repetitive than 1st). This is one of Beethoven's most difficult Sonatas though. But if your up for a challenge... it can be VERY impressive. *just a note, almost no one plays the Waldstein for competitions because it is literally suicide to try to get high ratings. But if your playing it in front of an adcom, the level of difficulty may impress them.
Some other recommendations:
Islamey - Balakirev. VERY difficult as well. But in a differen way from the waldstein. This piece is a virtuoso piece.
Anything from Gaspard de la Nuit by Ravel. Once again, these are also very vey hard. But if you can pull it off, you'll look like a genius.
Mozart Piano Concerto no. 27. This is probably Mozart's hardest piano concerto and a serious pianist will probably agree that this piece is the hardest out of all of the ones i have listed. Mozart is very difficult to play well. So beware.

* All of the music i listed above can be found at http://www.sheetmusicarchive.net/index.cfm . *Other than the Mozart Piano Concerto. Ask your piano teacher about that one.

By Ay_Caramba (Ay_Caramba) on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 01:43 pm: Edit

Confused 86: Haha yeah, I played "Return to Zanarkand"... it only takes like 15 minutes to master though...not exactly what a college would be looking for...

By Confused86 (Confused86) on Friday, June 11, 2004 - 02:25 pm: Edit

are you guys going to major in piano? Me, I've entered comps and stuff like that but I view piano as more of a hobby than as a job. i'm planning on going into medicine/neuroscience

Anyway, is anyone working on Rhapsody in Blue?

By Tommyy (Tommyy) on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 10:29 am: Edit

Would you recommend Ginastera's Danzas Argentinas (Mvt. 1 and 2) for college tapes???

Thanks!

By Wickedsmaht (Wickedsmaht) on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 11:27 am: Edit

It's foolish to even suggest Islamey or Gaspard de la Nuit. Not many professional pianists can play it well, let alone a high schooler. Don't even try it, go with a piece each from Bach, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff and you'll be fine.

By Delacroix (Delacroix) on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 02:02 pm: Edit

How perfect do you think the performance has to be? I mean, it is very difficult to play a technically hard piece without mistakes all the way through. Do you think the colleges will realize that (as well as the fact that we are only high school students) and cut us some slack?

By Forsakn4 (Forsakn4) on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 02:08 pm: Edit

fur elise or moonlight sonata
those songs are the best

By Wjb (Wjb) on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 02:19 pm: Edit

As I understand the process, if you are not a serious pianist, you should simply list your musical experience on your application or resume. Colleges want tapes only from accomplished students. Adcoms send tapes on to the music school, and sending a mediocre tape will not work in your favor. Having said that, you're not a prospective piano major, so pieces as technically difficult as Gaspard de la Nuit or Islamey are not essential. But I believe it would be a mistake to send a tape of *anything* played without excellent technique and expression.

By Ria (Ria) on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 02:29 pm: Edit

So, how good do you have to be? If I send in a recording of Impromptu by Schubert (Op. 90, No.4), will the adcoms (or people at the music school) laugh or something? (I'm not going to major in music...)

By Confused86 (Confused86) on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 02:39 pm: Edit

I hate Impromptu by Schubert, Ria do you have thet yellow sonatina book like I do?

if you wanna seem aristocratic, play Scherzo (is taht what is it named?) It always reminds be of polo for some strange reason...

By Delacroix (Delacroix) on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 04:05 pm: Edit

For last year's Stanford app, they said you should limit your recorded audition tape to ten minutes. That is seriously not enough time for higher level pieces. I mean, My Chopin Scherzo is already ten minutes.

By Ria (Ria) on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 04:11 pm: Edit

Nope, no yellow book. And I actually like it.

By Irock1ce (Irock1ce) on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 04:12 pm: Edit

hey, i was simply giving a suggestion if he REALLY wants to impress people. i know that i will be playing either the Waldstein, Chopin's Ballade op.23, a couple of chopin's etudes (op.25 no.11 "winterwind", op.25 no.1), or something REALLL expressive (think Mozart).

By Irock1ce (Irock1ce) on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 04:19 pm: Edit

notice the "Very very hard to play" in the OP.
So how about Gaspard de la Nuit? or Scriabin's fifth sonata? Want pure difficult? How about some Alkan? Or Godowsky's transcriptions of Chopin's etudes. now those are VERY VERY hard to play. Hey, you wanted very very hard eh?

By Wjb (Wjb) on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 04:36 pm: Edit

I think we're talking about tapes for students who do not plan to major in music, so no, you don't need to be a pro. But you should be good. You're probably the best judge of your own ability. And there are plenty of sophisticated pieces that are well under ten minutes in length. In fact, many are 3 minutes and under. I would suggest several pieces from different periods. A portion of a Bach partita, one allegro movement of a Beethoven or Mozart sonata, and a Debussy prelude, for example, would probably run 10 minutes or less, and would make a balanced performance.

By Wickedsmaht (Wickedsmaht) on Tuesday, June 15, 2004 - 04:49 pm: Edit

Seriously, just freakin' call the music director of whatever university or college you're applying to. Tell them your selection, and ask what he/she thinks. Nothing wrong with that.

By Davidn08 (Davidn08) on Friday, July 02, 2004 - 11:14 am: Edit

bump.

NOTE: the chopin etudes piece i mentioned in the 1st post is OP 25- #1