Which songs do you think is best for 'showing-off' and won't bore the audience?

For me, I think the following songs are great (notwithstanding their difficulty)

Beethoven --> Tempest Sonata
Chopin --> Ballade in G, Fantasie Impromptu, Etude number 23, scherzo in B minor (i love chopin!!!)
Schumann --> Abegg Sonata
Liszt --> La Campanella
Dohnanyi --> Rhapsody number 3 and 4

What else can you think of?

Any pieces can 'bore' the audience if they are not played imaginatively. Otherwise it's just notes. I would rather hear an exquisite Bach performance with many different colours and sounds than someone hitting the notes of something by Rachmainoff, Chopin, Liszt etc (but those are the usual culprits )

oh, sorry, then i should change the words~

I am just curious to know which songs you guys think are great~ cos there are many good pieces I have never played before and I need your suggestions =P

A great one for showing off that is not difficult to play is Grieg's 'Wedding Day at Troldhaugen' - guaranteed to bring the house down.

Steve

Love that piece!!

i found a disc with Tschaikovksys nutcracker on.

The full title is Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker op.71 pas de deux: intrada. Its been transcribed by M. Pletniev.

It sounds amazing - lots of scales up and down the piano - but a beatiful section!

woo, i love Tchaikovsky too, but my favourite piece composed by him should be concerto number two and 1812

I love Tchaikovsky too, i like the Nutcracker suite and all of his 'Les Saisons'...though they probably arent really performance level.

Any of Schuberts Piano sonatas..

erm....Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique Op.13 ...I don't know if it is the Tempest Sonata which you say. But this is a great one, if you play it with the speed that required, and with the dynamics suitablely, it will be the one to "wake" the audience, not the one to "bored" them.

If I have not mistaken, this was the exampieces for "performer certificate" of Trinity College years ago too!

I think playing Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor would be awesome entertainment. No boredom there. Also Granados' "Allegro di concierto" or Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

Hi all,

Some MP3 files with any of these works you can listen to here:

piano files

I hope you enjoy it

I recon you cant go wrong with 'Le Chat e la Souris' (i think it's spelt like that) - by Copeland. You have to decide when you play it whether you want the cat to win or the mouse to win, and play it accordingly!

Here is a link to a movie of someone playing it and info about it:
info: http://www.pianosociety.com/index.php?id=429
movie: http://www.pianosociety.com/index.php?id=430


I also think that the following are beautiful pieces that any audience (and the performer) will enjoy without doubt! These are a little harder to play - grade 7/8 up to LRSM standard (if you want easier pieces, scroll down!)

Rachmaninovs Prelude in G Minor (op 23 #5)
Scriabin's Etude in C# Minor
Schuberts Sonatas (There are a couple of stunning ones, but particularly Vol II, in A minor and Bb Major)
Schuberts Valse Caprice no.6 which isnt too difficult, just fast
Moszkowski's Etincelles (Op 36 #6)


For the easier works, you could try some of the first or middle movements of Clementi's sonatas -they tend to be brilliant, easy to learn and not too difficult to get up to speed and show off with. I seem to remember the first movement of #3 and middle movement of #4 (or #5?) being particularly nice and around grade 4...

A lot of Burmuller's Etudes/studies (Opus 109) are lots of fun to show off with and arent hard - especially #10 - 'Velocity', #12 - 'Awaking in the Woods', #13 - Thunder Storm (which is my personal favourite!) and also #15 - Les Sylphes (another of my most favourite showy-offy pieces!)

I have lots of pieces that i like to play that are showy-offy - so tell me what grade you want approximately, and i will make a list. Message me...

I think that many composer's Tarantellas are worth looking at as well.

What about Chopin's or Debussy's stuff - they have written some very beautiful melodies and interesting harmonies... Debussy's preludes and childrens corner pieces are lovely.

There is too much to choose from - but hopefully you will find something here that you like and can show off with!

Woo!!!

ANY one of Chopin's ballades should have an audience transfixed. If not, you can safely assume you are playing in a morgue!

From a Chopin Fanatic.

Thanks - I'm really flattered!

I adore both Chopin and Liszt's piano music... a pianist can create such a fabulous atmosphere playing them. They are full of raw emotion - especially Chopin's preludein b minor or perhaps Liszt's consolation no.3 in Db. Aww brings a tear to the eye!!

erm....Beethoven's Sonata Pathetique Op.13 !
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i love this piece!
also any noctune by chopin is usually great to play! Chopin rules!!!!
also the 2 arabesques by debussy...
and hydan sonatas are good too!!!
there are so many great pieces!

(It gives me the needle....but:)
What's about "Ballade pour Adeleine" by Richard Clayderman?

If you want flashy pieces at around grade 5-6 level there are 2 little pieces I can think of - 'Rumba Toccata' by Paul Harvey and 'Fete Calabraise' by Paul Wachs - the latter might be more difficult to get hold of, but it's a great little piece! And some of Grieg's short works are superb too for various levels. But I also agree with segedy - there are a lot of flashy-sounding Tarantellas by various composers, even from grade 2 level, - and they always sound good for this sort of thing! (My pupils usually love them!)

I like that too...how about Richard Clayderman's Nostalgy,Marriage De L'Amour,L'Amour Exile....etc.?

"Solfegietto" by CPE Bach and the 1st movt. of Grieg's "Holberg Suite" are good "showing off" pieces which aren't too difficult. Also either of Debussy's two Arabesques.

IMO, I'd stay clear of the popular works e.g. Beethoven's Moonlight/Pathetique/Appassionata Sonatas, Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca etc

For a dramatic performance, try the finale to Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata (No.29 in B flat), a hugely immense fugal finale. OR! Rachmaninov's Etude Tableaux.

Debussy's Feux d'artifice and Ravel's Ondine from Gaspard de la Nuit (sp?) are also awesome works!

Yes I like all of Richard Clayderman's pieces!!