Hello all! For solo and ensemble this year, I am doing the Concerto in One Movement by Lebedev on bass trombone and need help cutting it down. ISSMA rules only allow 5 minutes for performance, while the whole solo is around 7. If I stop at the end of the cadenza, it is right around 4 minutes and 45 seconds. Stopping there doesn’t make the piece feel final, though. Is there a better way to shorten the length while keeping the “level of difficulty and musicality” the same (ISSMA wording)? Thank you all!

As a solo/ensemble judge, I would tell you, be prepared to play the whole solo. Ask the judge you play for that day what he/she would like. If the solo is on your state list they know it is longer than the "time limit".

There will be solos shorter that 5 minutes and no shows.