Formation
Violin and piano · 2 performers
Required forces
Violin
1 performers
Piano
1 performers
Playable parts
Violin
Piano
MusicCoach difficulty
83/100
Master repertoire
Level of the complete work
We have no level specific to this movement. The figure above is that of the complete work: within a cycle, movements often differ widely in demand.
Estimated skills
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Technique
Bow legato
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
1
Rhythm
Polyrhythm 2 against 3
1
Style
Modern and contemporary style
1
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Tone
Vibrato
1
Technique
Position changes
1
Technique
Compound bowing
1
Fingering
Complex fingering
1
Technique
Harmonics
1
Technique
Fast passages
1
Technique
High positions
1
Rhythm
Complex bowing rhythm
1
Technique
Staccato
1
Technique
General technique
1
What to play next?
Each suggestion combines difficulty gap, risk, confidence and skill overlap. The first two cards in each column are the most useful pedagogically.
Gentle step
The safest next step.
Gentle
Violin Sonata no. 2 in D major, op. 94bis
Sergei Prokofiev
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Vibrato and Legato d'archet — what matters is a steady sustained tone: bow speed, contact point and pressure even, before any thought of speed.
Gentle
Violin Sonata no. 2, "Poème mystique"
Ernest Bloch
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Vibrato and Legato d'archet — what matters is a steady sustained tone: bow speed, contact point and pressure even, before any thought of speed.
Balanced step
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
Balanced
Violin Sonata, op. 134
Dmitri Shostakovich
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up: this piece moves you into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). New compared with the previous piece: Intonation and Connaissance des formes — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Balanced
Violin Sonata no. 1 in C sharp minor, op. 21, BB84, Sz.75
Béla Bartók
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up: this piece moves you into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). New compared with the previous piece: Martelé and Connaissance des formes — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Ambitious challenge
A useful leap with guided practice.
Challenge
Sonata for Violin Solo, BB124, Sz.117
Béla Bartók
close skills
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. New compared with the previous piece: Doubles cordes and Lecture avec altérations accidentelles — practise it slowly, separating left hand from bow: bow alone on open strings, then the fingering silently.
Challenge
Violin Concerto, op. 36
Arnold Schoenberg
partial transfer
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. The skill that will carry the work: Style moderne et contemporain and Passages rapides — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Same level
Same level
4 Pieces, for violin and piano, op. 7
Anton Webern
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. The skill that will carry the work: Style moderne et contemporain and Positions hautes — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Same level
Violin Concerto no. 2 in B minor, BB117, Sz.112
Béla Bartók
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. The skill that will carry the work: Style moderne et contemporain and Analyse harmonique — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Same level
Violin Concerto no. 1, BB48a, Sz.36
Béla Bartók
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Ornements romantiques and Style moderne et contemporain — ornaments must be secure before the piece goes up to tempo, otherwise they break the line instead of decorating it.