hi,
I'm doing my grade 8 piano on the 28th, and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for pieces that i could get, to learn after my exam.

thanks
x

What about some Chopin Mazurkas or nocturnes. Or some rag time - Eubie Blake?

Good luck in your exam by the way.

Any Sonata by Haydn or Mozart
Any Prelude and Fugue, French or English Suite by Bach
Granados Spanish Dances
Albeniz Suite Espagnole
Scriabin Preludes Op 11
Any Chopin Nocturne
Prokofiev - Sarcasms or Visions Fugitive
Debussy Preludes or Suite Bergamasque
A selection of Scarlatti sonatas
London Pieces by Ireland
Grieg's Humoresques, or his 4 piano pieces Op 1
Glinka's Nocturne, Variations on a Russian Folk Song, Prayer, or Barcarolle
Something from Rachmaninoff's Morceaux de Salon
Liszt's Consolations and Liebestraumes
Selection from Schuman's Kinderscenen
Schubert's Impromptus Op 90 and Moments Musicaux Op 94
Selection of Mendelsohn's Songs without words
Moszkowski's Barcarolle anbd Tarantelle
Four etudes by Szymanowski

... is that enough

Maybe you could learn the whole of one of Beethoven's sonatas (or another composer if you like anyone in particular). This is what i chose as my post-grade-8 challenge (I'm doing No.1), and I've found it really good because in one sonata there will most likely be one or more movements that are 'below your ability' techincally, so wont take too long to get up and running meaning that you can spend time on getting the feel right, as well as the scary prestissimo ones and tricky adagios with lots of fiddly ornaments, which are much more of a technical challenge.

25 years ago a whole Beethoven sonata was one of the grade 8 pieces

Thats a great list Tom, mine would have been similar.
If you want to tackle a whole Beethoven Sonata, why not try the first one Op 2 No1 in F Minor ?

Its true the Op10 (Nos 1 & 2) and Op 14 Sonatas are a bit easier, as is Op79, but I always find Op2 No 1 more fulfilling, being 4 movements and a great last movement to rattle off Prestissimo.
You might have a go at the very last Haydn one in E flat, by far the best, and much nearer to Beethoven than the rest. Mozart I'd suggest any of K330-333, you may have done the first movment of K332 for Gr 8 anyway. Or tackle the Fantasia K475 which you can couple with the Sonata K457.




Even my daughter, who did Grade 8 in , I think 1994 or1995 had to do a whole sonata in list B. I think they reverted to just a movement the following year (1995-6 syllabus), or the one after.

What a fab list - if only I could play all of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not just Beethoven: List B consisted of whole, usually Classical period, sonatas so it could have been Mozart, Schubert etc.

in 1981 list B was:
Beethoven 7 variations on "Kind, willst du ruhig schlafen" WoO 75
Clementi Sonata in B flat, Op 47 no.2
Haydn Sonata in B flat Hob XVI/41
Ireland Sonatina
Mozart Sonata in F, K 332

I have to say that any on this list are much harder than the current list, including the Mozart, the first movement of which is on both. In fact the Ireland Sonatina (definitely not classical period!) looks fearsome.

That's the one i'm doing. The prestissimo movement is my favourite but the other movements are good too. Although the prestissimo movement looks hardest, i've actually found it easier than the first 2 (Havent started the minuet yet). The 2nd movement has some very nasty (IMO) ornaments and 3 v 4 passages which are hard to get your head around, and the 1st movement is just annoying me because it wont work, but for no particular reason.

wow thank you very much everyone.

for my grade 8 im doing a bach p&f, mozart sonata, and grieg nocturne, so will be staying clear of the bach p&f's and mozart sonatas for a while.

i will have a listen to some of your suggestions.

thanks again
x

Have you discussed plans for after your exam with your teacher?
He/she may have some idea of what to do next.
I made sure that I got this sorted out by the time of my grade 8 exam.

Further to my earlier post it was indeed that Clementi B flat (complete sonata) form 1981 syllabus that daughter did in about 1995

Duh! Can't believe that I forgot to include something by Beethoven in my list!!

When I first saw your post I misread it as "the whole of Beethoven's sonatas", and thought - does she realize just how big a task that is! So No 1 in F. Far from the easiest but a wonderful piece of music. Great.

Like fsharpminor's daughter I had to play a whole sonata for Grade 8 - Beethoven Op 14 No 2 I think it was, then Op 78 for my Diploma 12 years later (and still a looooong time ago)!

Slightly off topic (but only slightly!) can anyone recommend any post-grade 8 level duets? I have a pupil doing her grade 8 in a few weeks, and she wants to work on duets after she's done it. Any suggestions?

Ravels 'Mother Goose' suite has a couple of easier movements to start, but the later ones are harder.
Theres 'Scaramouche' by Milhaud, but I seem to recall thats for two pianos.
Theres Liszts arrangements of the Beethoven Symphonies !

Sorry Im stuck otherwise

I worked on the
Ravel Sonatine (the only bit of Ravel many of us will ever get near),
Brahms g minor Rhapsody (op 79 - I think - and virtually the only piece I have performed from memory)
Bach Partitas 1,2,4,6 - I've always enjoyed these more than the French and English suites