I'm entering a competition that my School is entering. The winner gets a nice sum of money which I wish to use to buy myself a new Piccolo (The Flute). As you can see I'm primarily a Flautist... but I also have 7 years experience in Piano... After my 6 month hiatus from Piano I've forgotten most of my pieces, but thankfully we only have to play two pieces/movements. One for each round.

I still need to decide what I should play for the 1st round but I have no time to learn a difficult piece! What should I play that is stylistically pleasing, not too technically difficult (Not anymore than this) and will sound perfect with this? I've considered the Second movement of this Sonata... Also, as I like Chopin I've considered his Nocturne in E Flat Major, but will need advice on how to learn it. I could also play Fur Elise in the 1st round but I'm not sure that's a good idea because I would have to play it really well to make an impression... I already know the technical components of Fur Elise, I just have to pour some emotion into it... But I'm not sure it's good because I suspect many will play this and I don't want to be one of the, "Fur Elise" guys...

Please, any advice for playing this piece will be extremely appreciated!

Any times that I refer to herein will be referring to in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2sdOwMkdf8

At the moment I'm having trouble with this left hand passage at 1:38

My hand always gets tied around the Bb Key and slows down... I can play the following parts relatively easier though.

I also have somewhat difficulty with the quick trills in the secondary themes at 0:29 and 1:55. I tend to trill too long or too short and I can't seem to shake this away!

The passage at 2:15 also sometimes destroys me...

Please help me to fix these nitpicky sections!

And would we repeat to the Primary Theme after we finish? Would it be wise to play with or without repeats? I tend to repeat the 1st theme and finish after the 2nd theme.

What tempo do you suggest I play this at? I've heard recordings of it being blazingly fast.. I mean, it is Allegro, but I feel it sounds more emotional just above allegro, (For reference, I play slightly slower than the attached recording, and I may post a recording of myself later) rather than at the extremities of Allegro.

Other than the above technical issues, I am fine apart from adding the shiny bits. I need to know how I should best express the piece... At the moment, I play the accents extremely strongly, and exaggerate the dynamics to create greater contrast. (I have slight difficulty in maintaining mp at sections such as 0:10, however)

And any other general advice, eg. How to succeed well in competitions, giving a good impression, and anything else you will find useful!

Thank you sincerely very much for reading my extremely long barrage of questions! As you can see I really want that new Piccolo! And I have a bit over 3 months to make this piece Perfect. If I work hard enough I know I can win!

Best wishes,

Jason.

I would suggest going to www.ziplesson.com and scheduling an online, live Skype piano lesson with one of our piano instructors. We have a number of professionals whose job it is to help people like you.

Best of luck,

Jon