I'm trying to put together an audition repetoire of three selections:
Selection #1: Mozart Concerto in G OR CPE Bach Sonata in A minor
Selection #2: Ibert Concerto (if I can get a grasp on it) OR Honegger's Danse de la Chevre OR Faillenot's Pastorale et Danse
Selection #3: Burton Sonatina
With the exception of brief spurts and there, I haven't seriously practiced on my flute since '01. So, some of the selection process is going to come down to sheer capability. (For example: I would prefer Mozart to Bach, but, I can probably get a grasp quicker on the Bach, which would give me more time to focus on Ibert.) I have about three months to get everything in top form.
Does this sound like a balanced repetoire? Any general suggestions/advice? Thanks!
Audition Repetoire -- Advice Needed
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Audition Repetoire -- Advice Needed
Desperately Seeking Powell Flute #9777.
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flutepicc06
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Re: Audition Repetoire -- Advice Needed
I don't know how serious an audition this is (Orchestral? University? Community band?), or what kinds of requirements the group you're auditioning for gave, so I'll just offer general advice.Meredith wrote:
Does this sound like a balanced repetoire? Any general suggestions/advice? Thanks!
One of the big things I notice is the fact that you have a lot of modern music in the mix. In most audition situations, it's best to show versatility by playing music from different eras and styles. You might consider something Romantic (or Baroque/Classical depending on what you pick for Category #1) rather than the pieces you listed under #2 in order to round this out (assuming the group you're auditioning for has not limited you to these choices).
As far as the rest of it goes, Mozart can be VERY telling...If you perform it well, it speaks very strongly of you as a player, but perform it poorly, and even if the rest of the audition is great, you may not get the spot. If you feel that you're up to performing the Mozart, I would encourage you to go that route, but if not, I would steer clear. Since you're worried about taking time away from other pieces to learn the Mozart, you might want to consider something less substantial than the Ibert for category #2.
It all comes down to balance, and what will show you off best, in the end, though, so you'll have to make the final call on what you want to play.
If it were my audition, I would go for the Mozart, something Romantic, and the Burton. That's just for me, though.
Hope that helps!
What's considered "Romantic?"
As far as the music selections listed, I basically went with what I already own. (A lot of my sheet music got thrown away by my family over the years... long story.) Since the music I have basically broke down into three themes (Classic, French '30s, Modern) I categorized them accordingly.
As far as the music selections listed, I basically went with what I already own. (A lot of my sheet music got thrown away by my family over the years... long story.) Since the music I have basically broke down into three themes (Classic, French '30s, Modern) I categorized them accordingly.
Last edited by Meredith on Fri Dec 07, 2007 2:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
Desperately Seeking Powell Flute #9777.
If you have ANY information on its whereabouts, please PM me!
If you have ANY information on its whereabouts, please PM me!
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sidekicker
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It's absolutely vital in an audition to make sure your selections tell the most about you in a short period of time and reveal you to be the appropriate player for the position you are auditioning for. In that regard, the first thing to do is make sure your selections match the purpose for the audition.
You haven't told us (unless I've missed it) what this audition is for. If it is for an orchestral position, then with the exception of one of the Mozart concerti, your choices are not appropriate; there needs to be something from the orchestral repertoire (Debussy's "Prelude to Afternoon of a Faun", Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe solo from Suite 2, Brahms 4th Symphony last movement, etc.)
All of your choices, if possible, should demonstrate good technique, versatility in sound, and most importantly, musicianship that is appropriate to the period within which you are performing (i.e., baroque, classical, etc.).
Assuming this is not an orchestral audition, then I offer the following suggestions:
1. Keep the opening to one of the Mozart concerti. Both of these are normally very recognisable to a judging panel. That's important because they can concentrate on your musicianship rather than wondering if you are playing the right notes (they will surely know if you miss a note).
2. I would nix the Ibert. It's a wonderful piece of music, but the flute part alone, IMO, does not tell much about the player except that you may have good technique. You might consider something more along the lines of the first movement of the Reinecke Sonata ("Undine") or any of the pieces in Flute Music by French Composers. These will show off your technical ability, as well as give you wonderful opportunities to demonstrate changing tone colour and general musicianship. It also gives you something closer to the "romantic" category flutepicc is speaking of.
3. I agree that your original choices are too heavy on the 20th century side. It's best in an audition to play something from every music period if you can (baroque, classical, romantic, contemporary). If you don't have enough time to cover all periods, stick to the first three. I've been on several audition panels and have never been impressed by someone bringing a contemporary piece by some unknown composer who threw together a bunch of key clicks, trills, flutter tonguing, glissandi, singing into the embouchure hole, and pitch bending, and who was lucky enough to find someone to publish it. Contemporary music choices in auditions, IMO, can be very risky. Some pieces that fit well, to me at least, are those intended for flute alone: Bozza's Image, Honegger's Danse de la chevre (which you apparently already have), Hoover's "Kokopelli" (I personally hate this piece, but, admittedly, I'm in the minority on that as many flutists love it; the piece does demonstrate a lot about the player, though). I would definitely not bring either the Berio Sequenza or Varese's Density 21.5 as a flute alone piece. Besides the fact they are, IMO, remarkably ugly, they just don't come across well in the audition setting in my experience. I would also shy away from Robert Dick compositions, largely for the same reasons. (Those of you who disagree, please be nice and remember that these are just my personal opinions, nothing more and nothing less
)
4. Consider adding a Telemann Fantasia. These are wonderful, short, cover the baroque style, and really show musicianship.
5. Your #2 and #3 proposed selections appear repetitive to me. It seems like in both categories you are trying show some flash.
6. I would probably consider this type of line up: (1) a Telemann Fantasia (to show graceful and appropriate baroque style that will hopefully be very different from what the judges hear in the other selections0; (2) opening to the Mozart G concerto (for obvious reasons); (3) Bozza "Image" (this piece covers just about everything, is intended to be for flute alone, and gives a terrific opportunity to show how wide your tone colour palette actually is; it's also a great balance to the Telemann Fantasia and demonstrates that when you are playing solo flute pieces, you can sound like a completely different player, i.e. you don't play all flute alone pieces the same way). If there is room for a 4th piece, I would pick either Enesco's "Cantabile et Presto" or Faure's "Fantasie". Both are in the Flute Music by French Composers collection that every flutist should have anyway.
My overall comment on this is that if you have 3 selections you are going to play, you need to have music (and the ability) that will allow you to come off as sounding like 3 different flute players. It's very difficult to do. But that ability is what will set you apart from the rest, IMO, and communicate to your panel that you can basically handle anything that ends up on the music stand and not always sound the same. This is the true measure of talent in my mind.
Good luck to you!
SK
You haven't told us (unless I've missed it) what this audition is for. If it is for an orchestral position, then with the exception of one of the Mozart concerti, your choices are not appropriate; there needs to be something from the orchestral repertoire (Debussy's "Prelude to Afternoon of a Faun", Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe solo from Suite 2, Brahms 4th Symphony last movement, etc.)
All of your choices, if possible, should demonstrate good technique, versatility in sound, and most importantly, musicianship that is appropriate to the period within which you are performing (i.e., baroque, classical, etc.).
Assuming this is not an orchestral audition, then I offer the following suggestions:
1. Keep the opening to one of the Mozart concerti. Both of these are normally very recognisable to a judging panel. That's important because they can concentrate on your musicianship rather than wondering if you are playing the right notes (they will surely know if you miss a note).
2. I would nix the Ibert. It's a wonderful piece of music, but the flute part alone, IMO, does not tell much about the player except that you may have good technique. You might consider something more along the lines of the first movement of the Reinecke Sonata ("Undine") or any of the pieces in Flute Music by French Composers. These will show off your technical ability, as well as give you wonderful opportunities to demonstrate changing tone colour and general musicianship. It also gives you something closer to the "romantic" category flutepicc is speaking of.
3. I agree that your original choices are too heavy on the 20th century side. It's best in an audition to play something from every music period if you can (baroque, classical, romantic, contemporary). If you don't have enough time to cover all periods, stick to the first three. I've been on several audition panels and have never been impressed by someone bringing a contemporary piece by some unknown composer who threw together a bunch of key clicks, trills, flutter tonguing, glissandi, singing into the embouchure hole, and pitch bending, and who was lucky enough to find someone to publish it. Contemporary music choices in auditions, IMO, can be very risky. Some pieces that fit well, to me at least, are those intended for flute alone: Bozza's Image, Honegger's Danse de la chevre (which you apparently already have), Hoover's "Kokopelli" (I personally hate this piece, but, admittedly, I'm in the minority on that as many flutists love it; the piece does demonstrate a lot about the player, though). I would definitely not bring either the Berio Sequenza or Varese's Density 21.5 as a flute alone piece. Besides the fact they are, IMO, remarkably ugly, they just don't come across well in the audition setting in my experience. I would also shy away from Robert Dick compositions, largely for the same reasons. (Those of you who disagree, please be nice and remember that these are just my personal opinions, nothing more and nothing less
) 4. Consider adding a Telemann Fantasia. These are wonderful, short, cover the baroque style, and really show musicianship.
5. Your #2 and #3 proposed selections appear repetitive to me. It seems like in both categories you are trying show some flash.
6. I would probably consider this type of line up: (1) a Telemann Fantasia (to show graceful and appropriate baroque style that will hopefully be very different from what the judges hear in the other selections0; (2) opening to the Mozart G concerto (for obvious reasons); (3) Bozza "Image" (this piece covers just about everything, is intended to be for flute alone, and gives a terrific opportunity to show how wide your tone colour palette actually is; it's also a great balance to the Telemann Fantasia and demonstrates that when you are playing solo flute pieces, you can sound like a completely different player, i.e. you don't play all flute alone pieces the same way). If there is room for a 4th piece, I would pick either Enesco's "Cantabile et Presto" or Faure's "Fantasie". Both are in the Flute Music by French Composers collection that every flutist should have anyway
.My overall comment on this is that if you have 3 selections you are going to play, you need to have music (and the ability) that will allow you to come off as sounding like 3 different flute players. It's very difficult to do. But that ability is what will set you apart from the rest, IMO, and communicate to your panel that you can basically handle anything that ends up on the music stand and not always sound the same. This is the true measure of talent in my mind.
Good luck to you!
SK