<p>i need an opinion... has anyone heard of the butterfly lovers concerto? and if so, if you had a choice would you choose to learn that over the bruch scottish fantasy? just want to know which would please the crowd more... hehe the only worry i have is that the butterfly lovers is 28 mins...</p>
<p>Well, the last 10 minutes of the butterfly lovers concerto are quite pleasing, but the thing as a whole is quite second-rate in my opinion. And, relative to the difficulty of learning it well, the Bruch has more bang for the buck. The only reason I can think of to choose the butterfly is if there is a large Chinese audience (and, even then, I have my doubts. If you are going to do something from the 1950s or so, what about a movement from the Miklos Rozsa concerto?)</p>
<p>i love my romantic period... mendelssohn bruch etc. i just don't want to play something everyone does, i.e. mendelssohn bruch haha, (ironic since i'm doing mendelssohn as well) but wanted a piece to stand out, i'm not too familiar with contemporary composers like rozsa... nothing past sibelius... what's the rozsa sound like?</p>
<p>Rozsa is best known for film scores (Quo Vadis/Ben Hur), but was asked to write this for Heifetz, I think. (The most famous recording is by Heifetz, and also includes the Korngold and Waxman concertos, and Heifetz's Carmen Fantasy.) Very lush - the violin part is similar to Bruch (maybe a little easier), the orchestration is sensational (but if you are not playing with an orchestra, I have no idea how a piano reduction would sound.) Anyhow, worth checking out</p>
<p>Considered Bartok? (or is that too difficult for this audience?)</p>
<p>ooh i looked at the waxman carmen (just thought of that since i saw the post) and it is way out of my league... most aabrsm ratings say it's level 9, but i can play mendelssohn which is 8 and it's so much harder...</p>
<p>The Rozsa is substantially easier than the Waxman; I would think more along the lines of the butterfly lovers.</p>
<p>you must play an instrument... probably violin... do you?</p>
<p>If you're talking about Waxman's Violin and Piano fantasy on "Carmen," it's just a showpiece. I found it impressive the first few times I've listened to it, but afterwards it loses its allure (and it's remarkably similar to Sarasate's version.)</p>
<p>What's so wrong with Mendelssohn 's concerto? It's such a beatiful piece.</p>
<p>it's been played over and over and over again, and have you tried playing the waxman... the last page in particular, and the fingered octaves 2/4 to 1/3 are impossible</p>