Opening Pieces

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

What are your favorite pieces to open a recital?

I have tried lots of different ones. I don’t want to be stuck always doing something most historic first.

[Mel Sandberg]

Etude No 6 by Bach/Grandjany in C Maj (middle of the book) – very easy and memory-lapse-proof

Etude No 1 by Lariviere (middle of Watkins book) – fast and busy, so that hands don’t have time to tremble

[milena-stanisic]

F. Godefroid: Concert study in e-flat minor

Pierne: Impromptu caprice

Mudarra: Fantasia en la manera de Ludovico

These are my favourite pieces to start recital with.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

I used the Mudarra as my second piece on my last recital. Opening with the Pierne is very brave, but I can see the confidence you would have from getting through it.

[Lorenzo Montenz]

Dear Mr. Zlatkovski

I agree with you that the chronological sequence could be expected and not original. Anyway my personal point of view is that at the

[patricia-jaeger]

Recently the well known harpist Louise Trotter,

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Please tell me who published the Prelude by Enescu. I would disagree with one thing. I rarely see programs that are arranged chronologically. One positive attribute of such a program is that the ear is not shocked by sudden contrasts, but gradually led through styles. Pianists tend to start with classical sonatas or Bach. That is more of a cliche to me, and we don’t have very many classical sonatas anyway. We do have some nice modern classical pieces, the Maghini Suites being two of those.

[Lorenzo Montenz]

Dear mr. Zlatkovki

The prelude by Enescu is the first mvt.of his Piano Suite op. 3 n.1. You can find the suite in free download version at this web page:

http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Enescu,_George

The idea to start with a Sonata could be good, maybe a harpist could open with one of the sonatas by Naderman, Krumpholtz or Dalvimare (I definitley would prefer Dalvimare because I love his sonatas).

[carl-swanson]

I think one of the things to consider when arranging a program is whether the audience is made up of harpists or non-harpists(non-musicians). If the people attending the concert are not harpists or even musicians, there’s a good chance they have never heard solo harp before. In choosing an opening number for that kind of audience I would stick with something relatively short and very melodic. The Harmonious Blacksmith variations, the Glinka Nocturne, or any number of Handel theme and variations come immediately to mind.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

I would not personally begin with those composers unless I was still a student. They are not musically of sufficient interest for any serious listeners. They are okay for casual listeners or salons. I would open with Beethoven’s Variations on a Swiss Air, Spohr’s Fantaisies (when will the second one be published?), anything by Handel, Spanish baroque music, many pieces called Prelude. Grandjany’s Children at Play would be an excellent opener.

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

Thank you for the link. It looks interesting. So do the 5-7th movements. I never thought of his piano music, because he is often too chromatic.

[Elizabeth Volpé Bligh]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDS7hS4hBe4 – great YouTube video of Ion Ivan Roncea playing the Enescu Prelude. Incredible tone and clarity!

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

I have decided to go with C.W. von Gluck this year. What a wonderful composer.

[jordan-thomas]

This is just what i was wondering! this answered my question hahaha

[Saul Davis Zlatkovski]

I opened one recital with the Alojz Srebotnjak Preludes. I liked that. The first one is excellent for that and they progress in an interesting way. There are several modern pieces that are good to start with, I think. But I do like starting in the baroque period or earlier. I think the audience’s ears need to be warmed up as well as our fingers.

[Author]

Posts