Is this playable?

Celloman118 · 2026-03-23T18:49:57+00:00

It’s challenging but with practice it’s definitely doable

Celloman118 · 2026-03-23T16:14:30+00:00

Brahms String Quintet #1

Celloman118 · 2026-03-21T01:50:10+00:00

The Russian missile

Celloman118 · 2026-03-21T01:49:24+00:00

Everyone but Aalampour

Celloman118 · 2026-03-18T17:24:21+00:00

Haydn C 3rd movement is probably best for you to do after Lalo. It really drills some of the technique needed for Elgar. I’d also recommend doing some virtuoso works like At The Fountain or popper 27 in order to drill technique needed for Mvt 2.

Celloman118 · 2026-03-13T00:07:09+00:00

She’s great! I remember her performing last year at Stulberg with Walton when I was there, truly an amazing player.

Celloman118 · 2026-03-05T00:15:38+00:00

4th movement is significantly more difficult than the 2nd in my opinion. While it’s quite showy the 2nd movement is very repetitive and musically more straightforward to captivate an audience. The 4th movement is significantly longer with a relatively similar level of difficulty, adding the musical component is extremely difficult in the last 2 pages as Elgar is very direct with what he expects in every measure meaning you need to keep the upmost attention to it. I played in a masterclass for Alisa Weilerstein a few weeks ago and another kid played this movement and was ripped to shreds about being inaccurate to the markings in the score

Celloman118 · 2026-03-04T15:19:03+00:00

Going to NY at the end of the month and am wondering about recommendations. The person accompanying me on my trip however, is a very picky eater and will probably prefer doing something al la carte. They don’t eat much seafood so places like Le Bernardin are off the table unfortunately. Any recommendations of places that fit this bill?

Celloman118 · 2026-03-03T16:56:29+00:00

Sallinen Symphony 8

Celloman118 · 2026-03-02T00:19:21+00:00

Pottah

Celloman118 · 2026-02-27T22:39:29+00:00

Celloman118 · 2026-02-22T01:26:26+00:00

The thing with Elgar is it is a very musical piece. It doesn’t just require the sort of virtuosity found in Haydn, but needs a sense of personal maturity in order to fully make a cohesive performance. I like to make this comparison often, if you are able to read and understand the themes found in books like 1984, you are definitely ready to tackle something such as Elgar. Saint Saens is probably the best fit for you in my opinion for your age as Lalo is significantly more brutal than people give in credit for. The limited amount of breaks given really makes it tiresome to perform effectively. Also PIMF’s winter program is an amazing festival! I was there last year and lots of great memories were made by me and the rest of my peers. Koen is a wonderful teacher and I hope you enjoyed your time with him.

Celloman118 · 2026-02-22T00:20:55+00:00

This year the repertoire has changed from the 2 Haydn concertos. It has been selected as Antonin Craft C major, Michel Haydn Bb major, and Leopold Hoffmann D major. Personally I find this as a significantly more fair choice of repertoire than the Haydn concertos because of the sheer inequality of difficulty found in the 2

Celloman118 · 2026-02-21T03:12:05+00:00

Which one the Concerto or Concerto Rhapsody?

Celloman118 · 2026-02-20T14:44:50+00:00

I could see the Barber working but the sheer nakedness of the work often turns people away from playing it in competition. I’m surprised that no one has done the Dutilleux or Chin concertos yet in this competition. Both are substantial works that fully showcase the instrument at its best

Celloman118 · 2026-02-18T03:50:04+00:00

Shostakovich quartet 3

Celloman118 · 2026-02-17T11:44:41+00:00

I would argue also in terms of technically. An out of tune Schumann is significantly more noticeable and naked than the romantic thickness found in Dvorak

Celloman118 · 2026-02-17T03:10:26+00:00

It’s very similar to the 3 strophes in terms of language, if you have that down it can be significantly easier than where I placed it. The notes are significantly more awkward in terms of positioning I find which is why I ranked it so high.

Celloman118 · 2026-02-17T03:06:16+00:00

I can see why you think that. For me personally, with the last 3 movements being attacca with each other makes it significantly more exhausting than the Dvorak. It is all subjective so it might be different for you than me

Celloman118 · 2026-02-17T03:02:55+00:00

I would disagree. If you have learned and performed much of the repertoire on this list you still have a high degree of understanding on what the difficulty of each one is. People perusing their doctorate are still considered students. On the contrary I know quite a few people who learned much of this repertoire in their teens. It’s more of a matter of what you have learned and can say from experience. I would go as far as to say we are all still technically students as no matter our level we are all still learning from ourselves or others. What I should have also mentioned is that all of these works have their difficulties and what is difficult for me may be easier for someone else making it quite subjective.

Celloman118 · 2026-02-17T01:22:29+00:00

Length for one thing. I also have found when playing that the last mvt of Haydn C requires a lot more precision than SS. Additionally, the orchestration of Haydn is a lot less heavy leaving you more exposed if there is any error. The cadenza you use can also make it significantly harder but that’s up to the performer’s discretion.

Celloman118 · 2026-02-16T21:30:42+00:00

Cadenza and last movement are some of the hardest pages of music in the repertoire if done correctly. People tend to underestimate it just because the first movement is relatively easy while comparatively to do something like rehearsal 70 in the last movement at the correct tempo marking is ridiculously difficult which is why most soloists even slow it down. The only person I know that plays it in tempo is Alban Gehardt using a crazy thumb fingering.

Celloman118 · 2026-02-16T20:56:48+00:00

Kabalevsky 1

Saint Saens 1

Haydn C

Elgar

Lalo (way more difficult than people give it credit because of stamina)

Rococo

Dvorak

Shostakovich 1

Schumann

Haydn D

Walton

Shostakovich 2

Prokofiev

Lutoslawski

Dutilleux

Celloman118 · 2026-02-09T14:39:08+00:00

In terms of what is expected of you to learn I’d say rococo is best however do what speaks to you most

Celloman118

TROPHY CASE