Hi, I'm planning to do my DipABRSM in performance for the piano in about a year or two (probably in early 2011) and I was having some problems coming up with a suitable program...

Here is my current ideas for a program:

Mozart - Sonata in D, K.284: Complete
Rachmaninov - Prelude G sharp minor, Op.32 no.12
Schubert - Impromptu in G flat, Op.90 no.3, D899/3
(Debussy - Suite "Pour le Piano": 2nd movt, Sarabande)

The Debussy is only a possibility, depending on how long it takes me to play the Mozart Sonata - most recordings are 25-26 minutes with repeats.

Firstly, would it be musically acceptable for me to not play the repeats in the Mozart Sonata?

Secondly, any thoughts on the program? Is it too weighted towards the Romantic/20th Century eras?


Any Ideas? Thanks

I think you can show off your diverse musicality more if you can include a baroque piece. Also, it may not make a balanced program to play a 25-minute piece (Mozart) and leave less than 10 minutes for the other pieces. In this case omitting the repeats may be justified. Just my thoughts.

If the Debussy waltz "la plus que lente" is still on the repertoire list I would suggest that would make a better ending than the sarabande. It is a lovely piece. Here is Debussy himself playing it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir8snfWIU2M...feature=related

Alternatively, if you were very keen to include the Sarabande I would swap its position with the Rachmaninoff to give:

Mozart - Sonata in D, K.284: Complete
Debussy - Suite "Pour le Piano": 2nd movt, Sarabande
Schubert - Impromptu in G flat, Op.90 no.3, D899/3
Rachmaninov - Prelude G sharp minor, Op.32 no.12

I would leave out the repeats in the Mozart if it allows you to play a fourth piece. I think these four pieces give you a sufficiently balanced programme, which is what they look for at this level. If you included some Bach or Scarlatti (perhaps in place of the Debussy) that would also work.

Good luck with it!

Personally I would not put Mozart & Schubert in the same program at Diploma - they are both Classical period and the syllabus calls for a variety of periods. The same applies with Rachmaninov/Debussy although to a lesser extent as their styles are so different: However, whilst the Rachmaninov certainly is a Romantic piece it was published in 1911, 10 years AFTER the Debussy (1901)!

In short, Mozart OR Schubert, but not both and Rachmaninov OR Debussy but not both would be my advice.

I agree up to a point about having a wider variety of styles. I think looking at the programme again I would strengthen my earlier suggestion for some Scarlatti or Bach to replace the Debussy. Probably Bach.

However, I think Mozart and Schubert can easily live together in the resulting programme. They are so different in style I don't think they can be so simply lumped together as "both Classical period", even if that may be the 'official' definition. Schubert anticipated much of the Romantic style, particularly in the long melodic lines of compositions such as this Impromptu.

Personally, I try to think of musical periods as a timeline rather than a set of compartments, but then I suppose I'm not ticking boxes as an AB examiner. Mind you there is the chance to outline your reasons in the viva.

I think I may omit the repeats in that case...
(and I chose Sarabande because I am in LOVE with the piece )

One question though: I was under the impression that Schubert was a romantic composer.. though only early romantic, I would have considered the impromptu very characteristic of the romantic period... I may be wrong though.

And also again correct me if I am wrong, but I thought that most of the Bach and Scarlatti pieces which are included in the repertoire were quite long (of about 10 minutes) .. and thus the reason why I chose not to play them.

Thank you all for your feedback though! And the advice on the order of my programme

I agree that this piece anticipates the Romantic style (in fact I've just posted something to this effect in this thread).


I'm afraid I didn't go so far as to look at the syllabus. However, have just had a quick look and some of the preludes and fugues are short (particularly BWV 859 at approx 4 mins) but haven't gone through all the Bach pieces in detail.

There is a sense in which this exam IS about ticking all the right boxes: I agree that Mozart and Schubert are very different indeed. I also agree that Schubert, particularly late Schubert, anticipated many of the "Romantic" musical ideas - there was no date on which composers suddenly said "Right that's enough of that, now we will all write like this!". I even agree that they would sit very nicely together in a recital program, just not this one: Both Mozart and Schubert go in the slot of "Classical period". It might be possible to explain in the viva why you had put them both on the program but I think it is is unwise to plan this way: Better to tick the right boxes up front.


I'm playing BWV 859 - the Prelude & Fugue no.14 in F sharp minor from book 1: 4 minutes.

I would play both Schubert and Mozart on the same program, no problem.

I assume everything you listed is in the syllabus? If so, pick a short baroque piece off-syllabus that is in the ballpark of Diploma level that you like and have confidence in and add that. I'm talking about a 3-5 minute Scarlatti Sonata or Bach P&F. Since it will open your program, I'd pick something you feel good about and use it as a warm-up.

I opened my program last spring w/ an off-syllabus Scarlatti sonata that ran 6 minutes and passed.

If you have to drop something to make time for the baroque piece, I would first look at the Mozart repeats (you might want to consult ABRSM about this). Otherwise, you'd have to drop either the Rachmaninoff or the Debussy - which would be a shame.

For an exam you can omit the repeats entirely in the first movement of K284 , though you would play them in any other performance.

The last movement is more tricky. Most of the variations comprise two 8 bar sections, each of which is marked to be repeated. I have found that it sounds odd if you miss out all the repeats, but it seems to work if you play the first 8 measures of each variation once only, but repeat the second 8.

Isn't variation XI amongst the most beautiful things you have ever heard?

For most programs I agree, no problem: However, this is not just any program but a program for an exam for which there are quite specific requirements. One of these is for ". . . a generalist programme that
offers a wide-ranging yet coherent mixture of periods . . . ".

The exam is set by the ABRSM and according to their performers guides the end of the Baroque period (& the start of the Classical period) is marked by the death of Handel and the date of Haydn's first symphony: 1759. The end of the Classical period (& the start of the Romantic period) is marked by the death of Schubert and the composition of Berlioz's Op. 1: 1828. Therefore by definition (at least the definition used by the board that set the exam) Mozart and Schubert are both Classical period composers, very different though they may be. If you play them both then a: you inevitably leave yourself with insufficient time to do justice to a wider range of periods and b: You are offering a program heavily weighted to the Classical period rather than a generalist program. It cannot be good practice to plan a program in this way which does not tick all the boxes for the exam you are doing. If it ticks all the boxes for some other recital or exam that is irrelevant. You might as well complain about being told that you might fail an inorganic chemistry exam on the grounds that you wrote your answers in brilliant coupled Haikus in medieval Japanese and presented it in a beautiful gilded frame: The brilliancy and the beauty are irrelevant if they are not what the exam called for.



A point which eloquently demonstrates my point - this is not just any other performance: Read & follow the instructions & it is perfectly possible to create a program which ticks all the boxes that are there rather than the boxes you might wish were there.

Not a balanced programme, I'm afraid. You need to read the diploma syllabus more carefully but there have been really helpful suggestions from some of the posters:

Add something Baroque.
Choose either Mozart or Schubert.
Choose either Rachmaninov or Debussy.
Add something modern.

I also would not play Mozart and Schubert, though repeats can be omitted in the Mozart. I wouldn't just suggest inclusion of a Baroque piece, I would say it is a necessity. also think about a piece even later than Debussy eg Shostakovich Preludes , they are quite short

so how long does it take to do a LRSM exam? 2 years/ 3 years?
and FRSM...

just interested if anyone is doing self-study here for both exams...do you think that works?

i would suggest you ommit mozart/schubert and rach/debussy. it is acceptable to not play repeats in an exam, if you think it is too repetative esp in the first movt of mozart, i think it gets a little boring listening to the expo twice.

if you want to avoid the baroque like i do, add an early romantic and modern peice to your program. that's what i did. mozart, brahms, debussy and prokofiev.