<p>UCLA Piano performance Master’s audition asks about piece, written after 1940 year.
Do you have any suggestions or idea what is the best to play?</p>
<p>I am not sure from your question if you have limited familiarity with post 1940 piano repertoire or whether you just wanted suggestions. I rarely see people here making suggestions for audition pieces, probably because it would be extremely difficult to make a useful suggestion without knowing more about the musician’s other repertoire, musical taste, etc. And even more difficult for 20th century music that is post 1940 because it is not as well known as earlier piano repertoire. So this may not be helpful to your individual situation, but I wanted to mention a book that covers concert piano repertoire of the 20th century, including many post-1940 works. A bonus of this book is that is comes with a cd so you could listen to some of these works to get ideas for what you might like to learn to play. It is available through the large online booksellers (e.g., amazon.com).</p>
<p>Twentieth Century Piano Music (book with cd) by David Burge.</p>
<p>Thank you for an idea. You actually answered my question. I am not very familiar with XX century piano repertoire, so I needed help of the colligues. Thanks for your advice.</p>
<p>Please do not take this the wrong way, Ksenia, but I am surprised that you are unfamiliar with 20th century works, since most pianists have been playing one as a piece of their repertoire since they were youngsters (there are baby Bartok pieces, for example)! I would question your current piano teacher, because you should typically be practicing a program with repertoire from all major periods at all times (with new repertoire shifting in, or a concerto, etude, as necessary). Your current piano teacher should have some ideas of what level contemporary piece you should be working on, but schools like UCLA and Northwestern are going to be very competitive for masters degrees, so you should be working on repertoire that is of the appropriate level, including the contemporary piece.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say Bartok is post-1940, better choices might a Ligeti etude, Berio sequenza (I don’t know how many are for piano), or a longer Stockhausen Klavierstücke. Of course, these all are incredibly difficult pieces, and you could also try something like John Adam’s China or Phygrian Gates or some other minimalist piece (I’m not sure if Phil Glass would suffice though…)</p>
<p>Dear Allmusic,
I came from Russia 2 years ago, where contemporary music is not played almost at all. Mostly Schostakovich and Prokofiev from contemporaries. Bartok played only sometimes…
In this country contemporary music is a contemporary music- Carl Vine, Lowell Liebermann. And my current teacher does not work with contemporary music, he says, that he is ‘old school guy’.
Thanks for suggestions.</p>
<p>Check out recordings of solo contemporary piano music played by Gloria Cheng and Sarah Cahill. They are both strong supporters of living composers and play some fantastic music. Maybe something will pique your interest…</p>
<p>Boulez wrote a cool piece around 1994 called “Incises.” Perhaps a movement of the second sonata? Something from Messiaen’s Catalogue de Oiseaux might be good too. As previously mentioned a Ligeti etude or Berio sequenza IV might be good as well. For some less hair-raisingly difficult things look at some kind of Toru Takemitsu compositions.</p>
<p>Ooooh, Rain Tree is great! Also, all of Messiaen’s compositions are fantastic; Crumb would be a good choice (some of his piano pieces require preparation though). It might be fun for you to look into Gubaidulina (and all of her contemporaries), Schnittke, and other modern Russian composers. If I were you, I’d snatch a good book on modern composers and start looking through their repertoire. Soon enough you’re going to have to learn about these guys and gals, so why not now?</p>
<p>try john corigliano. i played fantasia on an ostinato like 4 years ago and it’s not too difficult…just a lot of repeated notes. also etude fantasy, but thats really difficult, i’m playing that now…or york bowen’s toccata…played that last year. requires good technique. mm…thats all for now, good luck! :)</p>
<p>ksenia, I side with Allmusic, and I would definitely question your current teacher. He may be an “old school guy”, but you are preparing for auditions and you need a teacher who can help you on all fronts. The fact that the gentleman says that he " does not work with contemporary music" strikes me as odd- is he not familiar at all with modern repertoire? If that is the case, and you are serious about advancing, you may want to look to other instructors. If you enjoy working with him then could you ask him for a referral to a colleague who could supplement his teaching and take you through the repertoire he is not comfortable with?</p>
<p>I side with ksenia on this one, as I’ve certainly noticed her claims on the frustratingly lackluster contemporary scene in classical music today in Russia. It might be a shame, but this country so rich in a history of cultural and intellectual figures has developed an overall negligence to contemporary music, instead stubbornly choosing to remain under the big Rachmaninov/Tchaikovsky/Prokofiev/Shostakovich cloud.</p>
<p>I second suggestions of mature Messiaen compositions. He produced a wide output of very difficult and very rewarding piano music. I would be careful of choosing an Adams or Glass-type minimalist piece. This genre might be not as difficult purely technically, but are difficult in many more ways, and rarely make good audition choices.</p>
<p>The OP says s/he came from Russia two years ago, so his/her training may be understandably lackluster in contemporary pieces, for the reasons he/she and Steph describe. However, purportedly OP is now studying in the US (is this true?) with a teacher who simply doesn’t work with the contemporary genre, and this is a mistake, I believe. </p>
<p>I know several excellent Russian piano teachers, and they always have their students prepare a work from the contemporary period as part of their ongoing repertoire, whatever their age and level. It is the expectation. So, even if the OP continues to study with a Russian teacher, the fact that this teacher is not exposing the OP to contemporary pieces would be reason enough for me to look for a new teacher. This is especially germane given that the OP is looking for/at competitive masters level programs.</p>
<p>JMHO, of course.</p>
<p>One of my kids had a Russian piano teacher who taught several works by Soviet composer Rodion Shchedrin. Can’t remember the works now, but here’s a list of works from Wikipedia:</p>
<p>Solo piano</p>
<pre><code>* Piano Pieces (1952-1961)
o Poem;
o Four Pieces from the ballet “The Humpbacked Horse”;
o Humoresque;
o Imitating Albeniz;
o Troika;
o Two Polyphonic Pieces (Two Part Invention and Basso Ostinato)
- Piano Sonata, 1962
- Twenty-Four Preludes and Fugues 1964-1970
- Polyphonic Notebook, twenty-five preludes, 1972
- Piano Sonata No. 2, 1997
- Diary, seven pieces, 2002
- Sonatine Concertante, 2005
- A la Pizzicato, 2005
</code></pre>
<p>This kid went to music school as a violin major, but had piano abilities and repertoire competent enough to have auditioned as a piano major. Perhaps something from this list would be appropriate - and may be familiar to the Russian instructor?? “Post 1940” actually allows many works that aren’t terribly “contemporary”.</p>
<p>Considering the many discussions on the music major site about the difficulties involved when a performance major wants to switch to a different teacher for private lessons and the fact that ksenia did not express a desire to change teachers, I am surprised that this suggestion to get a new teacher would be made so lightly. If I understood correctly, ksenia is going to be a college senior this year. It seems kind of late for a move to a different piano studio and might even impact negatively on teacher recommendation needed for the graduate program application. There must be some less extreme way for ksenia to get some experience in contemporary 20th century piano music. I like Mezzo’sMama’s idea of asking teacher about referral to another teacher to supplement lessons with some additional work on 20th century repertoire (rather than “questioning” the teacher, perhaps better to use the rationale that this is expected for the graduate programs and needed for auditions). I also think ksenia could benefit from some reading and listening in the area of mid-late 20th century piano repertoire to get some background knowledge and familiarity with the various composers and works, which is why I suggested a book/cd.</p>
<p>I amend my post to agree with Ridaudon. Supplementing lessons in contemporary, if current teacher isn’t willing/able to suggest and teach repertoire in this genre makes more sense than looking for a new teacher if OP is really a college senior. I wasn’t connecting that OP was so far along in his/her studies, since I saw “two years moved from Russia”, so was thinking Junior at most (and planning for graduate school, a few years in advance).</p>
<p>I love Schedrin’s pieces, they are just great! Especially Four Pieces from the ballet “The Humpbacked Horse”, Humoresque, Imitating Albeniz, and Troika.
Thank you ‘Rigaudon’ for suggestion expend my musical world view. I already started work on it. Thanks for understanding, ‘stephmin’. Thanks ‘Mezzo’sMama’ for advice about referrals.
The dicision to change a teacher was in my mind, but there is really akward school situation appeard among faculty, because of it… And now, moreover, this teacher wants me to stay with him for the master’s degree, even I said, that I want to move on with my career, and be at a different place.
So, it seems like I am on my own for the preparation to auditions…</p>
<p>I work on: </p>
<p>Bach Prelude and Fugue A dur (I),
Mozart sonata C major K. 330,
Brahms Sonata op. 5 no. 3 f minor (1-5mvms)
Rachmaninov etude-tabluex #f op.39 no.3</p>
<p>How do you think, if that program would be good for the auditions?
And I just took Robert Casadesus Toccata for the XX century requirement.
I have Suggestion diaboliques of Prokofiev as well.
Most of them though ask just for ‘3 different style pieces’.
The most prefer to hear:
original composition of Bach, classical sonata+ romantical/contamporary piece.
Is choice of that Prelude and Fugue good, what do you think? I also have E-dur from the both books of Well Tempered Clavier.
Or is it better to play some partita/suite for the audition?
Brahms’ sonata’s duration is ~35 minutes, Mozart is about 15, Bach is about <code>4-5, and Rachmaninov is</code>4-5.
Thank you for help, suggestions and collique’s encouragment</p>
<p>what about petrouchka by Stravinsky… ?</p>