Concertos: Haydn C Major or Bach E Major?
Hey everyone! I've been lurking around the site for a while, and mainly decided to join so that I could ask this question:
I just played the first movement of the De Beriot Concerto No. 9 in A Minor for a recital, and now I'm moving on to new stuff. There's a local concerto competition in December or January that I'm competing in, and my teacher is letting me pick what piece I do: the Haydn Concerto in C Major first movement or the Bach Concerto in E Major first movement. I'm also learning the Mozart Concerto in G Major right now, and will work on that while preparing the piece for the competition. I have previously played the entire Bach Concerto in A Minor and the first movement of the Haydn Concerto in G Major.
Any thoughts on which piece I should do? I like both of them very much, which makes the choice harder. Which one is considered to be harder? Which one would be better for a competition?
Thanks in advance!
Replies (7)
If you're learning Mozart currently, you might want to choose Bach to get some stylistic variation. Haydn + Mozart might make you crazy if you're learning them at the same time!
Both are great concerti. Go with the one you feel most comfortable playing.
First thought: lucky you!
Hmmm... I keep swinging back and forth between them.
The Bach sounds good because it's different than the Mozart and it's a fun-sounding piece with pretty simple timing. However, it's in a really icky key signature (though I could probably use the experience of playing in E major) and the interpretive opportunities seem a little limited.
And the Haydn sounds good because I liked the G Major concerto a lot, and Haydn concertos are not played very often. Plus it seems there's more variety in the piece and more opportunities to "make it your own." And I can play a cadenza in the Haydn. On the other hand, like you said, Mozart and Haydn at the same time might be a little too much of the same thing.
I just don't really know right now... I suppose I can't go wrong, no matter which one I choose.
Greetings,
I would go for the Haydn personally. I actually find it a freshe rand more inspiring piec e than the Bach. I don`t completley agree with Auer`s opinion that the bach is rathe weak but I sort of err a little in that direction. Its still a great work but I think its s(sort of ) sames ness tends to make it harder to pull off really well. The greatest performance I evcer heard of it was by Symon Goldberg when I wa s kid. That wa sa revelation. Another wonderful performance is by Mischa Elman of all people. He does stuff with it thta is often said to be unacceptable by today`s perfromanc epractice `rules.` He does spicatto, portamento and the kitchen sink . Its just magnificent. But its veyr telling that a great artist actually had to do so much with it to keep it truly interesting for the duration.
Your post gives me a delightful opportunity to indulge in my favorite rant. Apologie sin advance.
De Beriot nine may have become classified as a `student work` (bs) but actually it is a glorious masterpiece. If anyone doesn`t belive me then play the second movement (learn it properly) . Its so beautiful it has brought tears to my eyes on ocasison.
Ooops , sorry. We don`t play the second and third movements because it is a student work and bleeeeugh. Its so depresisng to see this happening all the time. I wonder why composers bothered writing thre emovements . Violnists are thes eweirtd people who can only do a third of anything for some reason. A tradition well established at mussic colleges and perpetuated at orchestral auditions. Wouldn`t it be greta if we turned the world upside down by demanding only third movemnts for auditions and colege exams?
And the sad thing is that at the most basic level one hasn`t really understood the firts movement as a piece of music until one knows it in the context of the compelte work. there are so often muscial connections between movements of cocnertos that need to be sytudied in depth.
Sorry. I`ve finsihed nbow. I need to have this little outburst at leats once a year. I`m off to rea da third of a book and maybe look at a third of a picture at a picasso exhibition. Maybe if I only ate a third of my meals I could get slim...
Cheers,
Buri
I find the Haydn C major technically much more demanding than the Bach E major, even with its key signature. Those trills on the dotted eighth notes followed by a 16th are tricky! Done well, probably the most beautiful part of the piece. The Bach to me is more solid ground.
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May 24, 2010 at 03:30 PM ·
It doesn't matter which one is more difficult. In a competition, what will matter is your musical and technical competence.
The Bach tends to be a much more popular work. Haydn's violin concertos (in C and G) do not seem to enjoy the popularity that his cello concertos do, although personally I enjoy both works. The G Major Concerto has one of my favorite second movements in the repertoire...