Another ranking topic! (Yay...)

[pianovlad1996]

 I am trying to rank these pieces in order of difficulty but I need help: Rachmaninoff Prelude Op.23 No.5, Rachmaninoff Etude Op.39 No.7, Chopin Rondo Op.1, Chopin Polonaise Op.44, 53,  Chopin Etudes Op.10 No.1, Op.25 No.5,7, Beethoven Appassionata Op.57, Beethoven Sonata Op.90, Liszt Transcendental Etude No.3, Liszt Paganini Etude No.3, Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No.5. Can anyone help me? 

[ahinton]

I am trying to rank these pieces in order of difficulty but I need help: Rachmaninoff Prelude Op.23 No.5, Rachmaninoff Etude Op.39 No.7, Chopin Rondo Op.1, Chopin Polonaise Op.44, 53,  Chopin Etudes Op.10 No.1, Op.25 No.5,7, Beethoven Appassionata Op.57, Beethoven Sonata Op.90, Liszt Transcendental Etude No.3, Liszt Paganini Etude No.3, Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No.5. Can anyone help me? 

Well, I certainly can't - and wouldn't try to do so. As has been pointed out here and elsewhere so very many times, what's difficult to some might be more or less difficult to others, so it's a very personal matter. Surely all that matters to you is how you would personally rank them in order of difficulty in terms of the particular challenges that each would present to you - and no one else could really hope to do that as well or as meaningfully as you!

Best,

Alistair

[pianovlad1996]

I understand that difficulty is relative BUT I want to know your opinion as I know mine. Thanks anyway for your atention.

[nanabush]

Liszt Transcendental Etude No.3,
Chopin Op 25 #7
Chopin Op 25 #5
Rachmaninoff Prelude Op.23 No.5,
Op 10 #1
Chopin Polonaise
Rachmaninoff Etude Op.39 No.7,
Liszt La Campanella
Beethoven Appassionata


I'm leaving out the Hungarian Rhapsody, Chopin Rondo and Polonaise Op 44, and the Beethoven Op 90 because I am barely familiar with them.

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The Liszt 3rd etude is short, and doesn't seem to have virtuoso moments like the rest.  I'm sure it's "musically difficult" as a lot of forum members instantly associate with slow pieces haha! 

Op 25 #7 I've heard from two people at my school (who have played it) that it does take a lot of attention to detail, and there's a beast of a left hand run, but they both managed it really well.

Op 25 #5, I remember TRYING to play it before, and I got fed up trying to remember all of the 'wrong notes' in the piece.  I'm sure if I tried it again now, I would have a better time; it does have some pretty technical parts when the E major theme keeps coming back.

The prelude, I practiced on my own time about two years ago.  The climactic section of Part A (starting with the big Eb major chords leaping, and upwards octave runs) is VERY tough, and would require slow monotonous practice.  The middle section isn't too bad, but has the typical inner-melodies that Rachmaninoff squeezes in so many of his preludes, and some big left hand runs (that actually aren't awkward - similar to the left hand in the Brahms G minor Rhapsody).

Op 10 #1.  It's very clear what technique you need after a few bars of the piece (so unlike a lot of the other ones in the list, you can tell right away if you will be able to play the piece).  There are some deceptively tough measures that really cramp the hell out of the right hand throughout, but again, slow practice is the key.  (I'm working on this right now, about 6 months, and the speed is there minus a few of the really bad measures).

The Polonaise Op 53 has a lot of details.  I've never been good at marking the rhythm in these (I was working on the Grande Polonaise Brillante, but switched to the 2nd Scherzo).  The etudes/preludes have very straightforward dynamics, and aren't as large of a piece as this one.  So I think that would have a more difficult time completing this piece with all of the character required to nail it.

The Rach Etude has so many aspects you need to cover.  If you listen to the Op 39 set, nearly each etude is in a minor key.  This (#2, and #5 to an extent) are the only slow ones.  The amount of dissonant harmonies, HUGE chord stretches, and the nearly random chorale part near the beginning require so much finesse.  The notes aren't difficult to read, but it sounds like a whole lot of mush if you just hammer out chord after chord after chord.  The second part, where the tempo picks up, has clusters similar to stuff you'd see in Messiaen's stuff, and like in his prelude, there are melodies hidden underneath all of the chromatic right hand stuff.  I tried some of that out, and you'd have to be extremely patient to learn/memorize this.  There's a massive buildup to a HUGE bell-like climax, and again you have to destroy this part!  If you rush to learn this, and bang-bang-bang the entire part, it'll sound terrible    it's a demented piece, scary, and the climax is monumental.  Be very afraid!

La Campanella; everyone knows the piece, and it's so damn fast with so many techniques, that I'd put it above the other ones mentioned.

I put the Appassionata last mostly because it is the full sonata... a much larger work than the rest, and up there for technique. 

Take what I said with a grain of sand (or salt?), because I'm sure there are people who disagree with my ranking and my impressions of the pieces.  I stick by it though 

[pianovlad1996]

Thank you very much nanabush. You are very right with your ranking and I agree with you.Can you help me with the Chopin Scherzo-Rach Prelude topic if you have time? Thanks again for your atention.