Good flute solos for auditions?

Question

I have been playing the flute for 9 years. Now I begin applying for different music colleges.I am looking for some good flute solos that i can play for my college auditions. I need two contrasting pieces to play for flute alone, no piano accompaniment.
thanks in advance!

Answer 1

* Learn both of the Mozart G and D very well, they'll be called up very often. So often that it gets very old.

* Learn at least one from each of the following "contrasting periods" unaccompanied. This will take care of about 80% of all prepared piece requests; about half of the others will want something with piano (use one of the Mozart concerti) and the other half will want something specific that's not on this list.

Early:
J.S. Bach: Partita in A Minor
J.S. Bach: Six Suites for Flute
Telemann: Twelve Fantasies for Flute

Classical
C.P.E. Bach: Sonata in A Minor for Flute
Kuhlau: Six Divertissements Op. 68 for Flute
Kuhlau: Twelve Caprices Op. 10, vol 1-2
Quantz: Capricien, Fantasien, Stucke, 1-22
Stamitz, A.: Eight Caprices

Modern
Baksa: Soliloquy (Krishna's Song)
Berio: Sequenza
Bozza: Image
Debussy: Syrinx
DeLorenzo: II Camevale di Venzia
DeLorenzo: Suite Mythologique Op. 38
Dick: Afterlight
Dick: Flames Must not encircle Sides
Hayden : A Tre
Hindemith: Eight Pieces
Honegger: Danse de la Chevre
Jolivet: Cing Incantations
Libermann: Soliloquy
Libermann: Flute Variations

[note: the quickest two contrasts to learn on this list would be Bach Partita and Debussy Syrinx]

* Get a book of orchestral and wind ensemble excerpts and know the whole book. This will take care of about 85% of all sight reading requests. If you're going to play piccolo at all - know Stars and Stripes by memory.

* Get Anderson: Twenty-Four Exercises for the Flute (Op. 15, Op. 21, Op. 30, Op.33) -- this will take care of nearly all requests for an etude or two.

Answer 2

I have the same problem and im trying to work on it... I haven't really found any helpful advice online because all of the advice is like "don't look at your audience/judge", which i already don't do yet I'm always nervous. There are two major differences between practicing and actually playing your piece as an audition; 1st is that when you practice, you probably don't have anyone around to hear if you make a mistake, so you are afraid of being embarrassed. 2nd is that you are more pressured to play everything right because if you don't then you might not get to be first chair. I don't know if your nerves effect your thinking and make you not play well (that happens to me), or if you just get so shaky that you can't play...? Either way, the difference is all in your head. unless you've done it a thousand times or just have nerves of steel you're going to be nervous. It's important not to suppress your nerves or think "i cant be nervous", because then you'll become even more nervous. You have to think positive thoughts beforehand, like how much better than her you are. I've thought of some things that might help me, and i havent tried them yet but i think they'll work. If you EMBRACE your anxiety however you can think to do that, think about, if you're so nervous, how relieved you'll be when it's over and think about how the more nervous you are the better you'll feel after. If you make the nerves seem like a good thing, they wont be a big deal and you won't persevorate over it as much, so when you start playing you'll forget about it and it wont make playing difficult. I read that when actors actually pretend that they ARE the person theyre pretending to be, they don't feel as nervous, since they are someone else. If I was you i would probably pretend to be "super flautist" or something really cheesy and narrate everything you do in your head. If you pretend that the judge is against you and is trying to take away points and "beat" you, maybe that will help. I play marimba, and if I focus really intently on my playing, then i can play my solo perfectly (if I practiced it enough), but my biggest problem with nerves is that I'm too distracted thinking about bad things like messing up and who's in my audience. When i get distracted, i go on autopilot, and then I'm likely to mess something up. If you think about the counts while you play (1,2,3,4), and stay focused on those counts (if you know the solo well enough your fingers will go on their own as you think of the numbers, i suggest trying it while you practice before the audition), then nothing else will really matter because that's all youre thinking about. hope this helps

Answer 3

I would look into the Bach Suite #2 in B minor or the unaccompanied (that's right--no piano accompanist necessary!) Bach Partita for solo flute in a minor.

then contrast w/something like:
The Carnival of Venice variations
Doppler Fantasy

There is a fantastic book of French Flute Music that has a lot of standard rep in it. Here is the link to buy it on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Flute-Music-French-Composers-Various/dp/0793525764

I used this book throughout my undergrad and it was PRICELESS!

Good luck!

Answer 4

Ask you teacher what would be the best ones for your level.

"Daphnis et Chloe" is a orchestra excerpt.
As suggested by DJB the "Danse de la Chevre" and the Debussy "Syrinx" are the two professional unaccompanied Flute solos.

There are some 600 titles for unaccompanied Flute solo listed on the music databases.
Some samples which you can order from your local music dealer:

Adler, Samuel Hans ( 1928 - )
Title: Flaunting; Study for Flute solo
Publisher: Theodore Presser Company
Item Number: 114-40099
Current Status: Custom Print Edition, 2 to 3 weeks for delivery
Price: $11.75
————————-
HONEGGER, Arthur (1892-1955)
Editor: Patrick Butin (3 pages)
Title:Danse de la Chevre (1921)
Pub.SALABERT
HL 50418660 flute $8.95
--------------------------------------
DEBUSSY, Claude (1862-1918)
Title: Syrinx.
Pub. JOBERT original edition.
JJ0344 flute $8.00
[Many other editions also published]
-----------------------------
Crawford, Ruth Porter (Seeger) ( 1901 - 1953 )
Title: Diaphonic Suite No. 1 For Flute
Pub. Masters Music, Florida
TO518 flute $7.95
----------------------------
HINDEMITH, Paul (1895-1963)
Title: 8 Pieces for Flute Solo. (1927)
Pub.SCHOTT
ST04760 HL 49005129 flute $12.95
------------------------------------
PERSICHETTI, Vincent (1915-1987)
Parable No. 1 for Solo Flute (or Alto Flute), Op.100.
Pub.THEODORE PRESSER
Item Number: 164-00031
Duration: 6' 45"
Current Status: In stock, available for delivery
Price: $5.95
----------------------------------------
POULENC, Francis (1899-1963)
Joueur de flute berce les ruines.
Pub. CHESTER MUSIC
Status: import
CH061753 flute 9.95 price subject to change
---------------------------
TELEMANN, Georg Philipp (1681-1767)
Title: Fantasias (12) (Urtext) (edited Hausswald).
Pub. BÄRENREITER
BA02971 flute $15.25
---------------------------------

Answer 5

There's a great flute solo in "Daphis et Chloe" by Maurice Ravel. It may be a little advanced, but it's a great passage.

Danse de la Chevre by Arthur Honneger is a good solo piece.

Answer 6

Theme & variations from the melody of "Carnival of Venice" for example, if it isn't too challenging for you (you can try to listen James Galway's version of these first to determine whether you can play it)!

Answer 7

hmm.. well i am not sure but good luck to you..
i play flute also and i hope to get into school with my flute.