The easiest and Hardest Concerti ever written

[rachfanatic]

Following the previous post on hardest ever piano piece, I wonderd what opinions their are on the hardest and easiest concertos ever written. I think that Shostakovich 2 has to be one of the easiest and Rach 3 is definately up their among the hardest ones. What are other peoples views on this

[musicsdarkangel]

easiest - Haydn D major

hardest - Rachmaninoff 3rd (maybe the Busoni)



I have followed the music to the Busoni concerto, and I really don't see why it could be any harder than the Rach 3.

However, I haven't sightread through it, so I could be wrong.


The Rach 3 has a billion more notes in it, and they're scattered everywhere.  The Busoni has many scaler runs. 

[BoliverAllmon]

does anyone have the sheets and mp3 to the Haydn? I keep hearing it is the easiest, but I haven't heard it yet.

[rachfanatic]

I must agree that Haydn is pretty easy. My piano teacher said she learnt it in a week and a half when she was 11. quite impressive I thought. The Brahms Concertos are also quite vicious as they go on for over 50 minutes, sometimes its not just the notes but the stamina to play that long

[BoliverAllmon]

I may be a bit of aloser, but I am thinking of playing the Haydn as  a first concerto. I am busy with stuff right now and can't do it, but if it is anything like other stuff of Haydn that I have heard and is real easy it could fit my mediocre technique just fine.

boliver

[TheHammer]

Err... if it is concerto number 11 in D Major, for the sheets I would suggest you look, erm, well, where could you look, hmm, a piano sheet site? Yeah, well, I have heard of one, err, how was it called, err, darn, what was it, something with Piano, Piano Sheet, no Street? Piano Street? 

Hehe, sorry...
https://www.pianostreet.com/search/searchsimple.php?composer=17&limit=15

[jhon]

The Rach 3 has a billion more notes in it, and they're scattered everywhere.  The Busoni has many scaler runs. 

EXACTLY.  Can you believe the RACH3 strikes ALL the 88 KEYS (from the lowest A to the highest C)!    (Striking the lowest A is already common but it's very SELDOM a piece would include the highest C note ever.)

[dlu]

EXACTLY.  Can you believe the RACH3 strikes ALL the 88 KEYS (from the lowest A to the highest C)!    (Striking the lowest A is already common but it's very SELDOM a piece would include the highest C note ever.)

Interesting...i didn't know that...

DLu

[BoliverAllmon]

Err... if it is concerto number 11 in D Major, for the sheets I would suggest you look, erm, well, where could you look, hmm, a piano sheet site? Yeah, well, I have heard of one, err, how was it called, err, darn, what was it, something with Piano, Piano Sheet, no Street? Piano Street? 

Hehe, sorry...
https://www.pianostreet.com/search/searchsimple.php?composer=17&limit=15

I feel stupid now. I am a gold member, but I have yet to look at what sheets we have here. LOL

[BoliverAllmon]

ok, I have seen the sheets. Now, I need the mp3. I don't care if it is easy. I want to play a concerto.

boliver

[mikeyg]

Or for those of us without the five gold stars, the score is available here

[mikeyg]

And, since I'm so nice, here is a recording of it

[BoliverAllmon]

thanks

[mikeyg]

That's what nils pays me the big bucks for You're welcome.

[BoliverAllmon]

that chubrik dude sucks.

[Waldszenen]

Brahms' No. 2 is one of the hardest ever written.

[thalbergmad]

The Henselt F Minor must be up there somewhere.

[tompilk]

I think that Grieg Concerto in A minor is also quite easy compared to the likes of Rachmaninov. Liszt Concertos 1 and 2 are also difficult but I have to go with the flow and say that Rach 3 is probably the hardest i've heard.

[Waldszenen]

Actually I've heard that Liszt's No. 1 is rather easy.

[presto agitato]

The easiest are Mozart´s num 21 or Haynd´s.

Ignaz Moscheles wrote very very difficult concertos but unfortunately they are underrated.

[musicsdarkangel]

The easiest are Mozart´s num 21 or Haynd´s.

Ignaz Moscheles worte very very difficult concertos but unfortunately they are underrated.

I'd definitely consider Mozart's no 21 one of the more difficult Mozart concertos.

Have you tried the others?

[steinwayguy]

I'd definitely consider Mozart's no 21 one of the more difficult Mozart concertos.

Have you tried the others?

Mozart 21 is indeed one of the more difficult Mozart concerti.

[BoliverAllmon]

yeah his early concertoes are alot of easier than 21

[ajw400]

Bartok 2

[Etude]

Prokofiev Concerto no. 2 - one of the hardest.

For the easiest, maybe one by Mozart, I don't listen to much of his music though.

[thierry13]

Nobody mention Brahms' concertos? Some people find them harder than Rach 3. And there are harder concertis than Rach 3.

[RealPianist]

how about mendelssohn 1?

[viking]

Actually I've heard that Liszt's No. 1 is rather easy.

Far from it!!!  An extremely technically difficult concerto.  Musically, fairly straightforward, but it won the 23 year Canadian National class!! (I think it was 23??)

As for the question, Rach 3 is probably the most difficult mainstream concerto, with Brahms 2 extremely close.  Theres no way it is the most difficult ever though.  Listen to Alkan, Busoni, and other obscure concertos and technically it shames the Rach 3.  However, one can still pull of a convincing performance of it, even moreso than the Rach 3, because it is lesser knowen to the public.  Haydn is probably about easiest.

SAM

[musicsdarkangel]

how about mendelssohn 1?

pretty easy

[magio]

easiest - Haydn D major

hardest - Rachmaninoff 3rd

[pianoplayjl]

easiest: anything by Hadyn or Mozart

Hardest: prokofiev 2nd PC or Rachmaninoff 3rd PC.

[49410enrique]

hmm most difficult? well among those i am familiar with, it's my understanding the the the Barber Piano Concerto Op 38  is a bear of a work and really quite difficult.

not a piano concerto but i think just about anybody could pull this one off:

Jim Stevenson's Cell Phone concerto (sorry he talks a little bit before they actuallyget into it around 2:30)

[ahinton]

Here we go again; "what's the hardest?" blah blah. OK, I realise that this is a very old thread that's recently been bumped for some unaccountable reason, but that's no excuse. I wonder if it willl ever be possible to convince those who initiate - and many of those who subsequently contribute to - such threads that what's "hard", or even what's "easy", for some players is less so for others and that, as a consequence, there can and will never be any meaningful and realistic consensus on any single work being the "hardest" or the "easiest" in its category.

Whilst it is therefore impossible to pick just one candidate for either "accolade", it might be argued that the concerti that present the highest levels of general difficulty to the greatest number of pianists (and, although the thread title does not actually specify piano concertos, I presume that this was nevertheless the intended subject) probably include Finnissy's Concerto No. 4 and the Concerto from Alkan's 12 minor key études Op. 39 (each of which is for piano alone) and the Busoni, the two by Brahms, the inevitable and oft-cited Rakhmaninov No. 3, Dillon's Andromeda and nos. 8, 9 and 10 from Sorabji's series of 11 works for piano and orchestra (which are all concertos in reality, even though only the first eight are so entitled), although I would not pretend that even this represents any kind of comprehensive list; again, as to the easiest, there must be many candidates for that one!

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

I have tried to play thousands and failed with all but two and both were by Martines, so they must be the easiest and the most difficult all the rest.

The Moses Pergament Piano Concerto looks insane, but no doubt so are several hundreds of other plinkers.

Thal

[ahinton]

I have tried to play thousands and failed with all but two and both were by Martines, so they must be the easiest and the most difficult all the rest.

The Moses Pergament Piano Concerto looks insane, but no doubt so are several hundreds of other plinkers.

"Plinkers" - again? OK - forget the concerto for now and have a look (or, better still, a listen) to some of his string quartets; whether or not you might care for them, they'll surely hardly strike even you as "plinky".

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

forget the concerto for now and have a look (or, better still, a listen) to some of his string quartets;

OK, I will give them a bash, but I have just finished listening to the Petrassi Piano Concerto so I am a bit plinked out at the moment.

Concertingly.

Thal

[pianoplayjl]

Maybe I'll also vote Busoni's concerto in the 'hardest' list. It takes around 70 minutes to perform.

[bachbrahmsschubert]

Certainly Medtner's 2nd should be involved in the discussion.

Hamelin's recording makes the piece seem rather trivial, but it's far from anything simple. And collaborating with the orchestra... oh my.