A style of composition that we don’t get much exposure to in the Suzuki repertoire is the “show” piece (short for showmanship) – a style of piece intended, amongst other things, to show off the string players virtuosity and mastery of the complexities of their instrument.

One of the reasons that we don’t encounter “show” pieces in the Suzuki repertoire is that the style did not come into prominence until the Romantic period in music history – championed by such composers as Henryk Wieniaswki and Pablo de Sarasate in the mid-to-late 1800s.  The Suzuki method, on the other hand, relies heavily on music from the earlier Baroque and Classical Periods.

The other reason is a little simpler – show pieces are fiendishly difficult!

Take a listen to Maxim Vengerov’s rendition of Ravel’s Tzigane.  Make sure you hang in there until 4:15 when the melody finally kicks in!