hello,
I'm trying to decide what piece to play for an audition for a really good university orchestra and I found this forum and was hoping someone could help me decide between my final two choices or tell me to drop both these possiblities and go for something totally different!
I am allowed 4 minutes to play and am thinking about:
1. Prokofiev's flute sonata - doing the 3rd movement followed by the climax of the 1st and the end of the first so that i show some loud high stuff (cos movement 3s mainly pretty low) and some fast stuff (again 3 is not v fast)

or

2. Some of Iberts flute concerto - i know the 1st and 2nd movements quite well and could do a mix or just 4mins of one

My problem is that although the prokofiev probably can show more musicality and possibly more variety, the ibert is more notoriously difficult isn't it? and i don't know what my opposition is but i expect its pretty good and i dont want to destroy my chances by playing something too straight forward (i would be missing the high Db squeels in the prokofiev cos i just wouldn't have time).

also, i play the piccolo so should i prepare a short bit of piccling or just let them know that i also do picc?

thank you so much for any advice, however small!
isla

a great short piece that shows all the technique you need is the Faure Fantaisie, there are other similar French pieces as well in the same genre that work, they are almost all 5-6 minutes long as they were written years ago for the yearly exam at the Paris Conservatory students..

thanks for your advice, I think i know that piece a little. However, i'm doing this audition in just over a week and so i'd rather play a piece that is just about ready (like the two i mentioned) - did you suggest the faure because you think my suggestions aren't good ideas? I could also do doppler's fantasie pastorale hongroise but i feel i'v over done that piece this year plus i expect it's perhaps a little overdone in auditions? do you think this is the case?
thanks again for any advice
isla

what you need is something that shows contrast, don't just try to impress with flash, I have been a judge and, believe me, there is more to impressing judges than speed, the thing is to play what you are very comfortable with, you need to be able to play flawlessly even if your fingers are trembling...

4 minutes certainly isn't very long, but I've never been a fan of pulling sections of different movements out and using them as audition material. I think either the Prokofiev or the Ibert or anything else you can play well would make a fine audition piece, but personally I would opt to play entire movements/pieces (or at the least get through as much of a single movement/piece as possible). As Patrick noted, though, you'll want something that shows off different parts of your playing, so pick carefully. As for the piccolo, considering how short an audition you have, let them know that you also play picc and have something ready to perform in case they ask for it, but don't plan to cut your flute playing short just to fit some piccolo in there. For most auditions, your flute playing is the most important, and being able to play piccolo is just a plus.

thank you so much, i will go away and think very carefully now! Do you think the 3rd movement of the Prokofiev would not show enough contrast? Even if i try to vary the mood and dynamics as much as I can without compromising the piece?
thanks
isla

I think the 3rd mvt of Prokofiev shows both musicality and technicality. The triplet sections require flawless fingerings, and if you play that musically and with good finger action...I think you will do fine.

I agree with Dennis. It's pretty solid audition material if you can do it well. However, it doesn't show off everything, and there's no way to know how long you'll actually be given to play, so it might be worth it to have a second movement/short piece that involves other facets of your playing. For instance, the 3rd movement of the Prokofiev doesn't really get into the 3rd octave to show off your pitch, dynamic and tonal control in that range. It wouldn't be a bad idea to show off your articulation a bit more than the Prokofiev 3rd movement will allow, etc. etc. Or you might consider a different movement/piece. In the end, it's most important that you be comfortable with what you're playing rather than simply picking something that throws in as many things as possible, but variety is never a bad thing in an audience situation if you can manage it. You'll have to make the final choice on what to play (and incidentally, I would recommend solidifying your choices further in advance next time so that you have more time to focus exclusively on your audition material).

flutist06 (by the way, why not flautist? is it american or something to say flutist instead?), i was considering doing some of the climax of the 1st movement of the prokofiev for the exact reasons you said (and because movement 3 is only 3 minutes long and I have 4 minutes to play in) - in this instance do you not think it matters for me to be chopping and changing between movements?
thanks again!
isla

I would not do a chunk of the first mvt., kinda like telling only part of a story to a child, it won't make sense...you could play the fast section from the faure, or the presto from the cantabile and presto by Enesco as examples...

any great piece will allow you to demonstrate personality..

re the flutist/flautist debate, I say, if you're paid your a flutist, if your not ur a flautist...

thanks patrick,
i suppose i could do some enesco but are you suggesting just doing a chunk from it? because if i do the whole of the 3rd movement of prokofiev (3 mins) i'm only going to have 1 minute to do my extra bit, where-ever i get it from. i was thinking, if i did the recapitulation in the first movement of the prokofiev i would have most of the ideas from the piece but in shortened form.
isla

by the way, why not flautist? is it american or something to say flutist instead?

I choose "flutist" because I play the flute rather than the flaut/a. If I were Italian, I probably would call myself a flautist. Either term is correct, and people will know what you mean (along with several other terms such as fluter, flutenist, etc.), but for the area in which I live, and the day in which we live, "flutist" seems most accurate. There's actually a substantial chunk of research out there concerning this little debate, and if you're interested, a simple Google search will probably turn up some interesting articles for you.

thanks for the explanation! I've always been taught its "flautist" - never heard of "flutener" hehe. although i do get stuck when it comes to picc - piccler? picclist? piccolo player seems the safest (and most boring). Where abouts do you live?
isla

I am indeed American, as you guessed. I live in Colorado (for the time being). How about yourself?

And as for the picc, I always use the term "piccoloist." "Piccolo player" is certainly another perfectly acceptable one, and much as with "flutist" and "flautist," comes down mostly to preference.

what i was suggesting was the presto section of the cantabile and presto, which is a mvt unto itself..the other thing to do is pick something close to the time limit, play it, and let them stop you...