Pieces by Debussy and Ravel

[pytheamateur]

I've played very little impressionistic music.  I've played Ravel's Pavane for a Dead Princess, but I don't think it qualifies as impressionistic.  Anyway, could you rate the following pieces in order of increasing difficulty?

Debussy: L'Isle Joyeuse.  Ravel: Sonatine, Ondine, Alborado del gracioso.

[teccomin]

Thats a huge jump in difficulty from Pavane!
Anyway starting from least difficult:
Sonatine, Alborado, L'Isle, Ondine

While Sonatine might feel easy when you first start playing it, performing a three movement work is always going to be more difficult than a single short piece. So I would say you would probably be spending more time learning Sonatine than Alborado or L'Isle.

[werq34ac]

I personally found Alborada a little bit more difficult than L'Isle Joyeuse, but otherwise I agree with teccomin.

[richard_strauss]

If you consider l'isle joyeuse as a single piece then it's easier than the Alborada del Gracioso, but if you consider it to be part of a triptych inspired by Watteau along with Masques and (possibly) D'un Cahier d'esquisses then it would be the other way about. Otherwise, I agree with teccomin.

[grandstaff]

I would say:

Sonatine
L'isle Joyeuse
Alborada del Gracioso
Ondine

(Also, for the record, there is quite a large gap between Sonatine and L'isle Joyeuse.)

[fftransform]

Not sure why people here think the Sonatine is so easy, by comparison.  I think that there isn't much separating the first three; decent arguments could be made to list any of them as harder than any of the others.  It's just going to depend on what your own strengths are.  I mean . . . can't you just look at the sheet music and tell?  Can't you just try it at the piano yourself?  If you're really capable of playing Ondine, then why are you asking an internet populus primarily composed of fakers, casual players and 14 year olds what is difficult?  Surely you know better than most people here, if you can play these pieces.  No offense, but was implying that you can the whole point of this thread?  I'd be surprised if it wasn't.

99% subjective: L'Isle Joyeuse < Sonatine < Alborada del Gracioso < Ondine.  Ondine is more difficult than all three of the others put together; somebody who can play pieces of this level should be able to see that instantaneously . . .

[gearmenta]

If you're able to play ondine, you can play the rest of those with no difficulty. The only thing more difficult than learning ondine is teaching it. So find a good teacher, a teacher that can really make you understand the precision that ravel demands from the performer. Ravel was a perfectionist, hence why his orchestration was unmatched. All of his music is very expertly crafted. If you have to ask if ondine is more difficult than the other pieces, you have not played it, or even attempted it, the section leading to the climax alone... And then the climax, some of the most demanding measures in the whole repertoire. So... If you really want to learn impressionistic music, I suggest you start with something easier like suite bergamesque.