Performance: Building and Presenting a Solo Repertoire
What this domain asks of you
A solo performance subject is not a recital of pieces you happen to like; it is an argument that you can select, prepare, and deliver repertoire suited to your instrument, your stage of development, and the assessment conditions. Know the practical frame: total performance time, minimum and maximum durations per item, permitted accompaniment, and whether memory is required or optional. These constraints shape everything else.
Concepts to master
Understand program coherence (contrast of era, tempo, character, and key without jarring transitions), technical demand versus control (a simpler piece performed securely usually outscores a harder piece performed hesitantly), stamina planning (placing the most demanding work where you are freshest, not necessarily last), and stagecraft (walk-on, tuning, acknowledgement, recovery from slips). Also know the difference between a set list and a program: a set list is ordered by preference, a program is ordered by musical logic.
Traps examiners exploit
Questions often present a candidate who chooses four loud fast works and ask what is missing - the answer is contrast, not difficulty. Another trap is confusing difficulty with marks: rubrics reward accuracy, expression, and stylistic fidelity. A third is ignoring the accompanist's role - balance, rehearsal time, and tempo agreement are assessable.
Worked rule of thumb
Draft your program on a grid: columns for era, tempo, duration, key, and peak technical demand. If any two adjacent works share era and tempo, reorder. If total time exceeds the limit by more than ten percent, cut the weakest item rather than rushing everything. Rule: contrast between items, security within items.