Hi everyone

I am a pianist and soon to enter my high schools annual young musician competition. At the moment i am still wondering what to audition with. Ive come out with a highly commended award for the past 2 years running with Prelude in B minor and Beethoven Moonlight Sonata 1st movement.

I am wondering this year as i need to step up my game which piece to choose. The audience are not exactly classical fans ,and most other people in the final arent playing classical. Which one of these pieces do u think i should go for

1. Moonlight Sonata 3rd movement - Beethoven (purely classical)
2. Theme from Love story - Francis Lai (Classical but a bit more contemporary)

I would honour views please:)
thanks

Go with the Beethoven. Even most non-classical people recognise the moonlight when they hear it (perhaps not the second movement) and if you can actually play the 3rd movement even half reasonably I can't imagine the theme from Love Story could be nearly as impressive.

where do i begin ... the theme from Love Story is something i would avoid playing at any time.

lol... any particular reason for your views on the Love story theme?

On a two occasions people who've told me they no longer play piano, can still seem to remember that one. It's actually quite a nice melody, and i confess that last night, i played the theme from the Notebook...twice. I suppose it's just considered a bit slushy, which it is, but if i did'nt associate it with that movie, i might like it more.

Actually, I don't see what was wrong with the movie either! It's more believable than the "Romeo and Juliet" plot and I enjoyed it very much (I think I was 18 when it came out) - it was nice to watch something romantic and made a change from stuff like "The Graduate" which at the time was primarily designed to shock.

The tune is quite haunting.

Third movement of the Moonlight is quite impressive, and in a different league of difficulty fromthe first movement or the B minor Prelude (I presume you mean Chopin's). I agree with Robodoc, if you can play it at all well - go for it.

I rather like the theme from Love Story. And not just because it was very useful to me ... a sort of compensation for a fair amount of skinny geekishness ... I learned it when I was about 16 and the girls at school were always asking me to play it. But it is not very technically demanding.

And I just discovered that I can still remember most of it, even though it must be twenty years since I last played it.

Thanks for the comments, keep them coming please:P

I realize that the technical demand is beyond another league for the Beethoven, but i like the Love Theme's melody and from what i learnt last year, the judges aren't looking for the best technical competency as much as they look for expression and stage presence. I think the nature of the Love theme may have the edge when it comes to this., as the fact that the audience are not classical fans as such:P

Even though the Beethoven is amazing, its a very long piece and quite repetitive.
Any thoughts or advice?

If you could give me names of other pieces which may be suitable, please let me know:)
thanks