The hardest three without a doubt are Op. 10/1, Op. 10/2 and Op. 25/6
I disagree, op.25 no.6 is easy if you can do the thirds quickly enough. op.10 no.1 is easy once it gets in your fingers.
You are certainly in the minority, if you think Op. 10/1 and Op. 25/6 are easy.
I have been thinking about this topic.....really, Etudes is mostly a study of techniques.....And to be honest, they are ALL difficult to play, let alone to learn unless a pianist has spent several years to learn these Etudes...However, I have relearned 25/8, which kills my right hand pinkie(ouchy, ouch!) and then to learn the 10/1, (oh, my gosh!) with that tempo in which it *supposed* to by played, it will take a while to master that,(I am merely a humble pianist), and the next Etude that I plan to learn will probably be the next easiest that my fingers can go without tripping up! :Pbest wishes, go12_3
op.25 no.6 is only easy if you can do the thirds and op.10 no.1 is only easy if you can do the arpeggios.
op 10 no 3L'escalier du diableOpus Clavicembalisticum
that's a kinda big if, isn't it? I mean, playing the Alkan symphony is easy if you play all the notes at the right time...
Its easy to play ____, if you______that doesnt make sense
I am surprised nobody mentioned op.10 no.7, in my opinion one of the most, perhaps the most challenging etude.But to shape perfectly op.10 no.7? To make it comprehensible to a listening audience? It is a rare skill.Walter Ramsey
10/1 not that hard
I'll still go for 25/2. I have heard quite many recordnings (Cortot, Vasary and Sokoloy, among other) and not one plays the way it should. I don't know a lot about Chopin, nor his works. but I am quite sure that if he wanted it to be played as 16th note, he wouldn't have written triplets.
I see some more farcical discussion by bigotted individuals and their opinions about difficulty . You need staggering technique to play Opus 25 No 6 and none of you have even demonstrated high technique (myself included) in the auditions room.If you play any of Chopin's etudes 10 times the regular speed, not one of you would be able to perform it. So what of this "difficulty"? Can any of you play any etude to a point of absolute perfection.....not a single thing to be done ever? That is the importance of performance and not what is most "difficult".
Because of also what pianisten1989 already said, it is hard to hear, but i think Gilels plays them more lik the 3rds they are written in:
Op.10, No.1Op.10 No.4(sure in 3 most difficult)Op.25 No.6