What Is The Most Difficult Piano Piece Ever Written?

Question

Only answer if you truly know classical piano thoroughly...

What is considered by the majority of piano virtuosos, the single most difficult piano piece to play, that has ever been composed?

Answer 1

Every pianist will have their own challenges technically with pieces but more importantly, difficulty should also be measured on musicianship but is often not. Usually the technique is challenged first because you can't express yourself musically with out getting hold of the notes.



Alkan's music is difficult but many wouldn't consider it the most challenging. It more considered a waste of time as there is little music value in it however the works for L.H. he wrote are ridiculously hard an almost absurd in a way.



Liszt's music is quite accessible. I don't know why people think his music is difficult. Remember, he is a pianist and all his music is composed in a way that pianist can accomplish even the most difficult passages with practice. Every pattern fits in the hand and nothing is awkward. If pianists have trouble with Liszt, it means they have trouble playing scales, chords and arpeggios. The Transcendental Etudes have challenges but are not the hardest pieces. I've studied all of them and I have played much more difficult pieces.



The consensus amongst the performing pianists for most difficult pieces include



Islamay - An Oriental Fantasy by Balakierve

Gaspard de la nuit by Maurice Ravel

Petrushka Transcription by Stravinsky

A complete performance of all the Chopin Etudes

Often neglected Rachmaninoff's 2nd piano sonata 1913 edition. The 1931 edition was simplified by Rach but is still terribly difficult. The 1940 Horowitz version combining the 1913 and 1930 edition is ridiculous as well.



Rachmaninoff 3rd piano concerto will always rank as one of the hardest concertos.



Bartok Sonata for Two Piano and Percussion is one of the most difficult chamber pieces for piano ever.

Answer 2

It is difficult to answer this in a definitive way, as individual pianists have their own strengths and weaknesses. Liszt's Transcendental Etudes are indeed difficult technically, but really any conservatory student could learn ONE of them and do justice to it (or they shouldn't be contemplating a career as a pianist). However, in terms of requiring stamina and total virtuosity, the Transcendental Etudes as whole may be about as hard as it gets as far as the most commonly known pieces. On the other hand, they are STILL relatively accessible because they don't have much in the way of interpretive difficulties and anyone can find a conservatory professor who has played them and can offer some fingering solutions, etc.



If you want to talk about music that is difficult on ALL levels, you'll have to consider some of the less well-known music: Boulez Piano Sonatas, Elliott Carter Piano Sonata, Messiaen's Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus, later Scriabin Piano Sonatas.



Then, if you want to consider the nearly unplayable: Opus Clavicembalisticum by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji. 4.5 hours long, composed on three staves.

Answer 3

Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini by liszt:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y5h0jCnvFM

Tell me that isn't one of the most impossible pieces you've ever heard. I know of only two pianists in the past a hundred years: Nikolai Petrov and Leslie Howard (I heard there was a 3rd from someone else, but haven't been able to find it anywhere) who have recorded this piece

Chinese Cowboy has played much harder? Try the 1938 versions of Liszt's six grand etudes; the ones written before he edited them to be manageable to his colleagues! :)

Answer 4

"see" Art Tatum

Answer 5

Han som reiste by Burzum

Answer 6

A few, for the sheer technical madness:



Islamay by Balakriev ( Russian Romantic Era Composer)



Shul(t)z-ever: Blue Danube Fantasy



Hammerklavier Sonata: Beethoven

Answer 7

Let's consider what the two greatest pianists of the 20th century had to say: both Vladimir Horowitz and Sergei Rachmaninoff named Liszt's Feux Follets (Transcendental Etude no.5) as the most difficult piece they ever played, with Horowitz adding that the Don Juan Fantasy (Liszt) was also right up there. There you have it.

Also, in an article published in 1895 in the famous "Etude" magazine, there was a survey done among the leading professors of piano at the Paris Conservatory, as to the hardest piece of piano music ever written, and the winner was Balakirev's "Islamey". But of course, this predates all the music of the 20th century.

A very great modern day pianist named Cyprien Katsaris, who has a phenomenal technique, and has recorded an enormous amount, named the 4th movement of a transcription of Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" (M.Cameron) as among the hardest things he has ever played.

In an interview, Andre Watts mentioned Feux Follets as an "unbelievably" hard piece.

Anyway, that's what some of the very greatest pianists have said.

Answer 8

Chopin's Etudes are very demanding, all of the Beethoven piano sonatas will keep you occupied for some time. It's impossible to say

Answer 9

I couldn't tell you the most difficult piece of piano music but it may be of interest to note that Liszt's transcendental etudes are simplified versions of his twelve grandes etudes. The only pianist I know of to record them is Leslie Howard who even said some passages are impossible to do justice. "Wild Jagd" which I think is No.8, has one of these "impossible passages".



Also Liszt's "El Contrabandista" is said to be almost impossible. Liszt himself was reported to have failed spectacularly when performing it.



Regarding my favourite composer Rachmaninoff, he favoured his 3rd Piano Concerto over the rest, stating that it is much more comfortable to play than the 2nd. Since Rachmaninoff was perhaps one of the most technically masterful pianists of all time, it's probably quite reasonable to say that anything he found difficult and avoided playing must of been in at least the top 10 most difficult pieces. He did not perform the large, chordal cadenza from his 3rd concerto nor record it, instead opting for the most scherzo-like version as he felt that he could not do it justice. He also got very nervous over the finale of rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, and could never play it confidently.

Answer 10

rimsky korsakovs flight of the bumblebee is a VERY EASY piece (there are 7 year olds on youtube who can almost play it, most pianists above grade 5 should be able to learn it), atleast the rach transcriptions - Cziffra's transcription is very hard yes, no1 except cziffra can play it right (volodos and katsaris come close though).



Sorabji's opus clavicembalisticum is supposedly the hardest piece ever written for the piano, or amongst any other instrument for that matter. it sounds aweful, i havent listened to all of it but i highly reccomend you dont unless you want to waste 4 hours.



some common hard pieces for the piano are:

Balakirev's Islamey,

Liszt's music is quite hard - especially his transcendental etudes,

all of Alkans music is very hard,

Rachmaninoff wrote some very hard music e.g. his piano concert 3,

some modern pianists make some very hard transcriptions too like hamelin but they dont usually sound very good.



there are countless other hard pieces, you cant really judge which is the hardest that much especially today as there are so many, they are all very hard.

Answer 11

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Answer 12

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RE:

What Is The Most Difficult Piano Piece Ever Written?

Only answer if you truly know classical piano thoroughly...



What is considered by the majority of piano virtuosos, the single most difficult piano piece to play, that has ever been composed?

Answer 13

Hardest Piano Piece

Answer 14

difficult piano piece written

Answer 15

Recently I have performed Beethoven's Waldstein sonata (op.53 in C major). It contains extreme technical difficulties including dynamic contrasts requiring attention, numerous key changes, massive arpeggios of very complicated patterns, octave glissandi which leaves scars on my fingers, multiple melodies per hand, and very far jumps. I personally describe to be the single most difficult piano piece I have ever performed, even more difficult than the Third Concerto which I performed a year ago which was hard enough.



However, I have picked up an even more difficult piano sonata, the Hammerklavier (op.106 in B-flat major), which, upon research, is considered to be the single most difficult piano work ever written. I looked at it, and I could not even get past the first few lines. I have heard that Beethoven personally meant it to be as difficult as possible to annoy the individuals who kept asking him to compose. As a result, he told his customer that no one would ever perform it for another 50 years.



I would imagine that in general, a solo piano work is even more difficult than a piano concerto because in a concerto, the orchestra does some of the work for you as in a solo work such as a sonata, the pianist has to play everything without any help. In conclusion, I will state that Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata in B-Flat major (op.106) is the single most technically difficult piano work ever written.

Answer 16

Art Tatum's "Yesterdays" or "Tiger Rag" is mind blowing.

Answer 17

I agree with Chinese Cowboy,



I would also add



Le Tombeau de Couperin - Ravel



Appassionata - Beethoven

Answer 18

Rimski-Korschakov's Flight Of The Bumblebee is definitely one of the most challenging piano pieces!!

Answer 19

It is supposed to be Tchaikowsky and Liszt's Piano concertos

Answer 20

Mozart "Rondo Alle Turca"