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Nonsense Eliminator · 11-10-2003, 10:33 PM

I think that there is something to be said for ignoring what you think other people are doing.

Yes, the committee will have heard 85 Haydns. However, 75-80 of those will have suffered from some combination of bad intonation, poor rhythm, inconsistent tone, uninspired musicianship, or good old missed notes -- and sometimes several of the above. If you are among those who have the skills to win the audition, you will stand out whether you play Haydn, Tomasi, or Come to Jesus in whole notes. If you are not, that will likewise be apparent regardless of what repertoire you choose. Remember that the committee are not waiting until the end to cast votes. They are taking notes as they go, and generally deciding who they'd like to advance as they play. They are not waiting until the end and trying to remember who stood out.

Some other points to ponder...

The committee will include twigsuckers and rosinheads. Playing something they don't recognize may only serve to confuse them, and they will likely expect the same refinement, accuracy and impression of ease regardless of how difficult a piece you choose.
Failing to play standard repertoire may give the impression that you have something to hide.
Preparing an audition already involves a lot of practice. Adding something flashy to your repertoire may not be the wisest use of your time.
If the committee is looking to hear musicianship, playing something notey and/or of middling musical merit is not to your advantage.
Most audition lists will give the committee lots of opportunity to hear you play high, loud, fast music from 1850 on. The committee might prefer to hear something else in the concerto.
If the only way you can get the committee's attention is by playing something unusual, you're not going to win anyway.

11-10-2003, 10:33 PM	#7 (permalink)
Nonsense Eliminator New Friend Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 48	I think that there is something to be said for ignoring what you think other people are doing. Yes, the committee will have heard 85 Haydns. However, 75-80 of those will have suffered from some combination of bad intonation, poor rhythm, inconsistent tone, uninspired musicianship, or good old missed notes -- and sometimes several of the above. If you are among those who have the skills to win the audition, you will stand out whether you play Haydn, Tomasi, or Come to Jesus in whole notes. If you are not, that will likewise be apparent regardless of what repertoire you choose. Remember that the committee are not waiting until the end to cast votes. They are taking notes as they go, and generally deciding who they'd like to advance as they play. They are not waiting until the end and trying to remember who stood out. Some other points to ponder... The committee will include twigsuckers and rosinheads. Playing something they don't recognize may only serve to confuse them, and they will likely expect the same refinement, accuracy and impression of ease regardless of how difficult a piece you choose. Failing to play standard repertoire may give the impression that you have something to hide. Preparing an audition already involves a lot of practice. Adding something flashy to your repertoire may not be the wisest use of your time. If the committee is looking to hear musicianship, playing something notey and/or of middling musical merit is not to your advantage. Most audition lists will give the committee lots of opportunity to hear you play high, loud, fast music from 1850 on. The committee might prefer to hear something else in the concerto. If the only way you can get the committee's attention is by playing something unusual, you're not going to win anyway.