I'm at about grade 8 to diploma (St. Cecilia) level and am looking for some pieces I could play for I'm probably not going to do an ABRSM dimploma in a while. Does anyone know some nice (but not too difficult) pieces that you would suggest?

Thanks

The world is your oyster, really! There's loads avaible! What type of music have you enjoyed in the past?

hehe, yes...
well I've always liked romantic music. Chopin and Rachmaninoff are my favourite composers, but I don't know whether I have the courage to try their music... ^^

there are plenty of Chopin and Rachmaninoff pieces that are perfectly approachable. How about the Chopin Nocturnes or the Rachmaninoff Preludes?

Schubert Impromptus, Mendelssohn 'Songs without Words',
Of course you should alawys have a few classical sonatas by Mozart Haydn or Beethoven
in your repertoire. For post romantic, some Debussy and /or Ravel (Sonatine?), Scriabin Preludes Op 11

Just a few ideas . Lots to choose from !

I'm Grade 8 - Diploma standard too, and I've been playing Fantasie-Impromptu by Chopin It's so much fun!!
And I bought a book of Rach Preludes too, it would be nice to have a bash at them!
So much to choose from...

Yeah I've tried Chopin's Nocturne in b flat minor. Is there a particular piece you would suggest?
Thanks! ^_~


thanks fsharpminor, I'll go through them slowly...


wow we played the same gr 8 exam pieces for lists A and B. Except I played Debussy's Arabesque no.1 for C though...

Nice meeting everyone!

[quote name='orchid_dreams' date='Sep 5 2007, 05:31 AM' post='585357']
[quote name='Invidia' post='584680' date='Sep 4 2007, 08:49 PM']
there are plenty of Chopin and Rachmaninoff pieces that are perfectly approachable. How about the Chopin Nocturnes or the Rachmaninoff Preludes?
[/quote]
Yeah I've tried Chopin's Nocturne in b flat minor. Is there a particular piece you would suggest?
Thanks! ^_~

umm... well i would say all of the Chopin Nocturnes are approachable at post grade 8 level. if you've done the B flat minor one, maybe look at the op 27 Nocturnes, the op 62 Nocturnes or any of the posthumous ones. a particularly lush nocturne is the C minor one (op 48 nr 1) although it is probably one of the most difficult Nocturnes.

for Rachmaninoff Preludes, I recommend anyone who hasnt played it to look at Op 32 nr 10 in B minor- by far my favourite of both sets.

Liszt Consolations, they're around Grade 8, and a fine example of bel canto style piano...really beautiful. I recently got an arrangement for solo piano of Rachs 18th variation from the Paganini theme rhapsody, it's a very popular piece, a blue cover and the composers picture on the front(there's another with a blank white cover which i would'nt recommend)

I'd agree with fsharpminor's suggestion of Mendellsohn's Songs Without Words. Apart from anything else, many are quite short, and if you buy the whole book, you can have a few on the go at the same time. Rachmaninoff isn't that horrific once you get into it, and why not try John Field's nocturnes for a change from Chopin? fsminor isn't fussed on these, if I remember correctly, but I am!

If you like romantic music, try Karol Szymanowski's Preludes. Unlike his later music it's really tonal and pretty, and each prelude is only a few minutes long. My favourite is No. 2.

oh yes, I just heard that.
I really like No. 7 as well. ^^