Scarlatti 2 Sonatas in C, Kp.308 (L.359) and Kp.309 (L.454)
Mozart Sonata in Bb, K.570: complete
Brahms Rhapsody in G minor, Op.79 no.2.
Bartok ‘6 Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm’, from ‘Mikrokosmos’, Vol.6 (2nd and 6th)

It looks fine and well balanced to me .

Hi, I'm also preparing for piano diploma this winter.

Your programme looks good! The pieces are contrasting and so are the composers. Nice programme! It's somewhat similar to mine. I'm playing

Bach's Toccata no.5 in E minor
Mozart sonata K.311 in D major
Brahms Rhapsody in G minor op.79 no.2 which you are also playing
and Janacek's in the Mists 1st 3rd mvts.

If you are playing the pieces in order in which you have written above, I'm sure it will be a fabulous performance! The Brahms is such a stunner and makes real dramatic contrast with Mozart.


Hope your preparation and the exam goes well and wish me luck as well please

Thanks all and good luck to you too.
By the way, do you repeat or do not repeat in the diploma examination?
And also what would be a good alternative to Bartok? (backup)
Would Gershwin be nice?

I'd go for the Shostakovich Op34 preludes, or the Scriabin op11 ones (eg nos 2 and 3 as contrasting ones), if you want a back up for the Bartok.
The pieces are quite short, and not too difficult to learn.

I wouldnt do any repeats in the Brahms or in the 1st or 2nd movements of Mozart Sonata K570, but I think you have to do the short repeats in the last movement.

The diploma tests you as someone giving a recital. If you went to hear a recital of those pieces, would you expect to hear repeats or not? Do you feel the repeats add something to the music? (Presumably the composer did!) What does your teacher advise?

It's not like a grade exam where the examiner only wants to hear everything once and repeats are not allowed because of shortness of time. In the recital, you play for 35 minutes, and what is important is the musical integrity of the pieces played. If you choose not to play repeats, which you may sometimes feel to be the right choice, be prepared to defend that decision in the viva voce.

The main thrust of DipABRSM is to certify that you are capable of giving a recital of a given length. Hence you would be penalised for too long or too short a recital; you have to show you are capable of researching your pieces and producing programme notes. You also have to show that you are a good general musician, hence the quick study, and have a reasonably detailed knowledge of your instrument.

Hope you really enjoy doing your diploma!

I didn't do any repeats in mine and no comment was made about it. Good luck!

Doesn't the syllabus provide instructions about repeats?

Yup, on page 7 (yes, I'm nowhere near diploma standard and am unlikely to be within the next two decades; doesn't stop me reading the syllabus though ):

As the diploma syllabus says nothing about repeats in it. If you choose to repeat an exposition section or play a minuet and trio as expected i.e. repeats first time through the minuet and throughout the trio, then as long as you are not over the time limit then your examiner will be perfectly happy. The only reason repeats are ommitted in grade exams is time. If you have a musical reason to include them put them in.