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I like that idea. I still haven't had the chance to sit down with my teacher. He's been gone at a summer camp for a few months. "the goals might be far too lofty and that the "stretch" required to prepare the competition repertoire." In that case, a Beethoven Sonata, Scarlatti Sonatas, Shostakovich preludes, and maybe the Chopin ballade, doesn't seem like too much to handle in a year. I could see where adding a concerto could be unrealistic. With those pieces I just listed, I could possibly find some smaller competitions to enter this year.

Hello

Since you are talking about competitions, if you have on 25 minutes to play and show yourself, what do you think about this programme?
- toccata, Casella
- Sonata op 22 - 2, Schumann
- etude op 39 - 3, Rachmaninoff

I'm having doubts about the sonata, because I'm afraid that is too long. What do you think?

Thanks for your help

Don't know the Casella.

I think the Schumann is not very good for a competition, for reasons that are hard to explain. My intuition has always told me there's some music that seems superficially like it would be okay, but somehow doesn't work very well in competitions. A good deal of Schumann (but not all) falls into that category. It's like he didn't care a whole lot about how the piano actually sounds, with the result that often it doesn't sound particularly fantastic, not like the luscious sounds the Chopin and Liszt drew out of it. Not that it's awful or anything, but it just lacks that last iota of magical piano sound. In a competition, it's probably better to choose music that makes the instrument sound great, whenever possible, IMO.

Of course, if a performer has some special affinity for a particular piece and can play it with unusual conviction, that can trump what I just said.

My school is having a competition in Oct. Here's the details:

2012 CLASSICAL SONATA COMPETITION

COMPETITION RULES

1. The competition is open to students in two categories: junior and senior. Students who have not yet had their 14th birthday by October 20 will compete in the junior category; students older than 14 but younger than 18 on October 20 will compete in the senior category. Contestants’ age is their sole basis for eligibility – students may attend any school or college or study privately, and their place of residence plays no role in their eligibility.

2. All contestants must have their applied teacher’s approval - teacher’s signature is required on the Piano Weekend application.

3. Competition repertoire consists of any one complete movement from a piano sonata by Haydn, Clementi, Mozart, Beethoven or Schubert. All performances are from memory.

4. No repertoire changes are allowed once the application is submitted. Please email or call with all inquiries regarding repertoire.

5. Time limit for the junior category is 7 minutes; 8 minutes for senior category. Contestants may choose to play a longer movement but the jury reserves the right to stop the performance once the time limit has been reached. Repeats in the score are left at the discretion of the contestants; the chosen movement’s form and its length should be the guiding factors as far as taking repeats.

6. The number of contestants in each category may be limited to the first 10 applicants unless the chosen repertoire leaves enough time to accept more. Contestants will be notified of their status once the application is received at UNCSA.

7. The order of performance will be alphabetical by last name.

8. Contestants will be provided warm-up rooms prior to performing. All performances will be held in Watson Chamber Music Hall. Piano used: Hamburg Steinway model D.

9. No Piano Weekend participant will be allowed to compete without attending the entire Piano Weekend. Please email or call with all schedule questions prior to mailing the application.

10. The jury will consist of UNCSA Piano Faculty. The jury’s decisions are final. The jury reserves the right not to award all prizes.

11. The prizes for junior category are $100/first prize, $75/second prize; in the senior category, $150 and $100. All winners will receive a diploma and an invitation to perform at UNCSA on either November 20, 2012 or April 23, 2013. These performances will be professionally recorded and videotaped.

12. The results will be announced at 6pm on October 20. All contestants should be present at that time to be eligible for prizes.

I was wondering, since the time limit is 8 minutes for the senior category, would the judges expect the piece to last roughly 6-8 minutes? Or does it make a difference if I choose a really short movement (4-5 min)?

Sounds like fun. Wish I was younger. That Hamburg Steinway D must be quite a nice instrument.

What sonata and movement (from one of the five listed composer's) were you thinking of?

Since they don't give you a minimum time, I wouldn't be concerned about a movement that was only 4-5 minutes. In the end, it's going to come down to how well you play whatever piece/movement you select.

Good luck