For those who don't know, I am preparing for LTCL piano. No specific aim as to when, just dealing with programming at the moment.

They want 37-43 mins and at the moment I have 33' so could do with some help?

Liszt- Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude (c. 18')
Ravel- Alborada del Gracioso (c.6')
Takemitsu- Rain Tree Sketch, Rain Tree Sketch II (c.9')

Looking at Baroque stuff on the syllabus, I do really like the Bach P+F in Eb minor from WTK1 but in terms of mood it's not much different to the Liszt.

Classical are all too long.

Half considering using another modern piece of different style to Ravel and Takemitsu such as the Ligeti Musica Ricercata or something.

Advice greatly appreciated!

I keep toying with the idea of doing an 'L' Dip but its off plan at the moment, as Id have to do LLCM. (having ALCM precursor)
I really do think you need to have something earlier. Have you looked at Bach WTC Book 2 No 14 in F#minor ? Its nearly 8 mins long, so the right length. Prelude is fairly straightforward, but a few awkward bits in the fugue. Its set in LRSM Syllabus so of right difficulty. Not sure without checking if you can have an own choice piece though as you can in LRSM.
(sorry to plug F#minor, but its my favourite of the whole 48 ! )

I did Brahms op 118/6 which was 7'. Probably aim for about 40' in total to allow for breath between pieces - it's quite a trial of stamina.

Yours looks like a very nice programme if a bit cerebral; try something a bit lighter for the remaining piece(s)? I also did a work by John Ireland for a 3' lollipop at the end; another time I might have gone for Amberley Wild Brooks but I don't know the timing for that one.

I don't know the other pieces well enough to know whether this balances, but Scarlatti K426 and 427 are on the syllabus as a pair and K427 is loads of fun to play. Time-wise you'd have enough music without doing any repeats and about the maximum if you did all the repeats.

Thank you for the advice. I'm going to take a trip to the library tomorrow and look at all the works you suggested.

Am going quietly nuts waiting for the result of the recital I did on 9th December. People at work are emailing me wanting to know if I've heard yet.

I'm referring to the letter (when it does eventually arrive) as my 'Confirmation of Failure' because I can't allow myself to suppose I might have passed.

On the way to work I started planning a programme for a retake and so far have bookmarked the following:
Bach English Suite (I think no 2 is on the syllabus but I've just bought the book).

Takemitsu Raintree sketches (would have to obtain the second one - they are just weird so it would be a good learning experience; so far I can play the notes and operate the pedals of no 1 but the piano protests - see earlier remark)

Chopin op 27 Nocturne(s).

Came up with an alternative (though original program still a strong possibility).

Bach- Prelude and Fugue in Eb minor Bk 1 (c.9')
Chopin- Scherzo nr 3 (c.7'30)
Debussy- Images set 2 (c.15')
Ligeti- Musica Ricercata mvts 3,4,6,8 (c.4'30)

Total 36'

Still a bit short... the 4th movement of the Ligeti has absolute freedom of tempo so I could stretch it to the minimum of 37 quite easily but I don't want that worry before I've even began preparation.

I do prefer this programme to my original one though.

That seems like a much better balanced program, though I dont know the Ligeti. However I have a recording of his Etudes, and love particularly the one called Fanfare, dont suppose I'll ever be able to play it.
(PS did you look at the WTC F#minor in book 2?)

I did look at the F#m one and have to say I was strongly considering it, along with the G#m one from book 2. But in fairness, I already had my heart set on the Ebm book 1. I'm finding myself much more open to earlier music than I used to be. I sat down the other day and played through bits of all of the WTK on the syllabus as well as all of the Beethoven on the syllabus and I actually enjoyed it as much as when I used to sit down and sight read through Debussy.

Anyway, I like the Ligeti Fanfares too. I attempted to learn the Automne a Varsovie and got as far as the part half way through where the background semiquavers pause. Couldn't face the second half- it's the most difficult thing I have ever attempted to learn.

I like the balance of my program the way it is and don't really feel the need to add anything else for any other reason than length. I wonder if it would be acceptable to do more movements of the Ligeti not just the 4 they set and have them as own choice?

I suppose if I were to add anything it would have to bridge Bach-Chopin or Debussy-Ligeti. The latter would be the easiest as a Classical piece would be too long.

I think your new program is pretty well spot on , and with short pauses between the pieces you should be OK time wise. Oh dear youre encouraging me to do an L dip again now. Im going to have a look at LLCM syllabus (as I have ALCM).

Thanks for the help =] I ran the new program past my teacher who ran it past a diploma examiner she knows who said it was fine. So that's sorted.

I think the most anyone gets from a diploma pass or fail is the experience of building a program and the development that occurs whilst preparing the pieces. For that reason, I definitely think you should look at LLCM syllabus and have a go at it; you might build a program, learn it and decide you have gotten what you needed from the experience and don't need to sit the actual exam- as indeed might I once my program is learned and ready for performance.

Decided to switch the 3rd Scherzo with the 2nd Scherzo which, in my opinion, is much nicer to play and to listen to and generally a better composition. Plus it nicely irons out my timing problem.

Bach- Prelude and Fugue in Eb minor Bk 1 (c.9')
Chopin- Scherzo nr 2 (c.10')
Debussy- Images set 2 (c.15')
Ligeti- Musica Ricercata mvts 3,4,6,8 (c.4'30)

Total 38' (which including breaks will probably pan out into a nice 40' program).

Yeah that looks good, wish I had the time and energy to have a go at L Dip. (PS listened to Automne a Varsovie yesterday, no way I am going to tackle that!)

Automne a Varsovie is a horrible, horrible piece to learn (but amazing to listen to!)

The entire first book of Ligeti Etudes are on the FTCL list. I think taking them on as a set easily knocks the wind out of the Liszt Sonata and Gaspard in terms of both musical and technical difficulty.

Think I might do the Hough arrangement of The Carousel Waltz in place of the Ligeti. I think it would make a much better ending and add something light to a potentially heavy program. Though it's quite difficult... I didn't have much problem sight reading it through but at tempo I can imagine it being a nightmare.

New Program:

Mozart- Rondo in A minor K.511 (c.10')
Chopin- Scherzo nr 2 (c.10')
Debussy- Images set 2 (c.15)
Dai Fujikura- Etude nr 1 'Frozen Heat' (c.6)

Total 41 mins.

It is a well thought out change rather than a whim- I'm just not going into the details here!

Slight problem is Trinity say "any of the Images" which may mean I can't do all 3 Debussy Images 2. Alternative 1 is that I could do an LRSM which says "any one, two or three of the Images". Alternative 2 is that my program ends like this:

Debussy- Et la lune descend... (6 mins)
Fujikura- Etude nr 1 (6 mins)
Etude nr 2 (6 mins)

Total 38 mins.

Not sure what my best option would be... I guess I should contact Trinity and go from there.

I would have taken it that 'any of the Images' would allow you to play more than one, though as program has to be 'varied' its probably not a good idea to do more than one.
I love 'Mouvement' from Images 1 , but cant play it very well !

Reminds me of a misprunt in a recital programme I went to in Liverpool. 'Jardins sous la Pluie' came out as 'Jardins sans la Pluie' ie the exact opposite.

Trinity have usually responded fairly quickly to any queries I have sent them. Hope you get a positive response about the Images.

I'm sorry you've changed your mind about the Hough arrangement of the Carousel Waltz; that would have been a stonking finish (but it sounds v difficult! Do you need big hands?)

41 minutes is good - I was told my programme went under the time, and I had it timed at 40 mins, so presumably played it faster under pressure. Gives you 3 minutes leeway.

I think it would be ridiculous if Trinity didn't allow more than 1 of the images in the set. After all, they are generally performed (by professionals) in a set, and it's not as though the set is so long that it would preclude variety in the program (if this is even necessary at a licentiate level), since at ~15 min, it's no longer than the average classical sonata or baroque suite and contains plenty of contrast. I do like the revised programme with the complete images though... out of curiosity, what made you replace the Bach with the Mozart? I think both pieces are equally effective in the context of the programme, but I was just wondering

Thank you for the thoughts!

fsharpminor- picking up on ansatz's comment, the complete Images 2 are similar in length to your average Classical sonata. There is as much variation in the set as you would get within sonata movements, so I don't really see grounds for them having an issue with it, it's just an unwritten discrimination against post-1900 music.

I love Mouvement as well; I have never got the hang of the combination in the opening pages. The middle section where it gets more complicated is pretty straightforward. And "Jardins sans la pluie"? Is that a contemporary tribute to Debussy? Roxburgh wrote a suite for piano duet with the titles "Jardins sous la neige, Reflets dans la Glace and can't remember 3rd title, think an allusion to L'isle Joyeuse?

mel2- The Carousel Waltz is SO difficult! Hand size isn't a problem (not to me at least, I can stretch a 10th-11th), it's more the runs which give the ones you find in pieces like Feux Follets and Scarbo a run for their money! My substitute, the Fujikura, is a much better choice as I am in contact with the composer and my old university performance tutor played that piece in the competition that made her as a concert pianist. So I have good support with learning/performing it!

ansatz- agreed that the Images are no different to a sonata or Baroque suite. I replaced the Bach with the Mozart for two reasons:

Subjectively, I like Bach a lot more than Mozart, I can't bear to listen to the majority of Mozart's oeuvre. However, I play Mozart better than Bach. Any exam or competition in which I have played Mozart, it has been the best thing I have played in the examiner's view, receiving much higher marks even than contemporary repertoire which is my true love.

Objectively, the Bach is one of the slower pieces from WTK and takes an enormous amount of concentration and composure to bring off. I don't think having a piece like that as the first thing on my programme and the first thing the examiners will hear is that good an idea, I need something a little more straight forward to allow me to settle. The Mozart has a lot of scalic/broken chord passages which will be a good warm up (though I know I will have warmed up before I go in). Also a small afterthought of not much relevance is I think the Eb minor of the Bach and the Bb minor of the Chopin are too similar in harmonic field being so close together.

This is off-topic, but I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who finds the outer sections of Mouvement difficult I'm planning to work on the set but I've only looked at this one so far, and for all that it doesn't look complicated on the page it's incredibly awkward in terms of hand position and evenness is hard to maintain...



This is interesting because the conventional wisdom regarding repertoire choice is that you can't play something really well if you don't enjoy it... maybe really caring about a piece leads to increased performance anxiety? I suppose though that it is easier to learn Mozart without liking it than many other composers because there aren't many notes, so it isn't as much of a hassle technically and if you don't enjoy it you don't need to commit to the musical aspect

My issues exactly. Mouvement was the main reason why I chose Images 2 over Images 1, that and the fact Images 1 is the more frequently performed.



Oh, don't get me wrong I think the Rondo in A minor is a pretty nice piece of music. I wouldn't play anything I didn't like or enjoy it's a waste of time when there's so many alternatives! I said the majority of Mozart bores me, not everything.