Rating the Chopin Preludes and Etudes

[virtuoso80]

I'm sure this has been done to death, but I still find it interesting to hear people's take on how comparatively difficult each of the Chopin Preludes and Etudes are. Having played many and worked some on them all, I thought it would be fun to give my take, on a scale of * to *****.

Etude Op.10, No.1: ****
Op.10, No.2: *****
Op.10, No.3: ***
Op.10, No.4: ****1/2
Op.10, No.5: ***
Op.10, No.6: **1/2
Op.10, No.7: ****
Op.10, No.8: ****
Op.10, No.9: ***1/2
Op.10, No.10: ****
Op.10, No.11: ****
Op.10, No.12: ***

 Etude Op. 25, No.1: ***
Op. 25, No.2: **1/2
Op. 25, No.3: ****
Op. 25, No.4: *****
Op. 25, No.5: ***1/2
Op. 25, No.6: ****
Op. 25, No.7: ***** (To play it well, I really think so)
Op. 25, No.8: **1/2
Op. 25, No.9: ***1/2
Op. 25, No.10: ****
Op. 25, No.11: *****
Op. 25, No.12: ****

Prelude Op.28, No.1: **1/2
Op.28, No.2: *1/2
Op.28, No.3: **
Op.28, No.4: *
Op.28, No.5: ***
Op.28, No.6: **
Op.28, No.7: *
Op.28, No.8: *****
Op.28, No.9: *1/2
Op.28, No.10: **
Op.28, No.11: **
Op.28, No.12: ****
Op.28, No.13: **
Op.28, No.14: **
Op.28, No.15: *
Op.28, No.16: *****
Op.28, No.17: *** (to play well)
Op.28, No.18: **1/2
Op.28, No.19: *****
Op.28, No.20: *
Op.28, No.21: **
Op.28, No.22: **1/2
Op.28, No.23: ***
Op.28, No.24: ****1/2

[beebert]

What's the point of ranking every single one of them? Any way I se some faults there in my opinion, so I will tell you which one that you have rated too low and which ones you have rated too high.

Too low:

Op 10 1
Op 10 12
Op 25 6
Op 25 8
Op 28 3
Op 28 5
Op 28 14
Op 28 18
Op 28 22

Too high:
Op 10 9(At least if you only rate Op 10 3, 5 and 12 as you do)
Op 25 4
Op 25 7(I might buy that it's hard to play it well, but doesn't that apply to all Chopin's pieces?)
Op 25 9(Same reason as Op 10 9)
Op 28 6(Just as hard as Op 28 3? No)
Op 28 8(Not harder than most of the etudes, certainly not harder than Op 10 1 for example)
Op 28 17(Look at Op 25 7)
Op 28 19(Look at Op 28
Op 28 24(Look att Op 28

[virtuoso80]

Beebert, the point of rating them is because I find such exercises fun. Nothing more elucidating than that, just fun to do and think about, and also to see what some people consider harder than others.

I'm not surprised by some of your thoughts -

You said too low:
Op 10 1 - I don't know if I have a larger hand, or if I just like pieces based on easily memorized patters, but I never thought this was so awful.
Op 10 12 - One of the first Etudes I found I could make headway in back in the day, and doesn't present any horrible issues IMO.
Op 25 6 - Used to scare me, but a teacher assigned it to me and I found it wasn't as bad as I thought.
Op 25 8 - I don't know, I find it without any real issue.
Op 28 3, 5 - You could be right
Op 28 14 - Just octave unison. Never found it so hard physically or interpretationally.
Op 28 18, 22 - Not beginner pieces, but I find them fun and accessible.

You said too high:
Op 10 9 - This piece drove me NUTS interpretationally and with detail of touch. Didn't come easy.
Op 25 4 - At speed without missing a jump? I can't do it.
Op 25 7 - Yes, you can say that of all pieces, but I feel getting perfect balance and lyricism in this piece to be truly terrifying. Much less stressful thinking about performing most of the other Etudes.
Op 25 9 - Getting it OK was not hard. Getting it really good was/is. Still, maybe ***.
Op 28 6 - Maybe cause I studied it so much, I see so much fine, quiet detail to be coaxed out, I think of it as hard.
Op 28 8 - Still stumps me.
Op 28 17 - Interpretation hard for me. I'm a heavy metal guy - I can do angry and aggressive (Op 28 18, 22) much easier than I can do something like this.
Op 28 19 - I find this harder than Op 10, 1.
Op 28 24 - Thought about **** only, but such an epic and demanding piece, thinking about it put me over.

[beebert]

Okay yes, I actually think it can be fun to do this as well. I was just thinking if you did it for some kind of reference for what piece to play

I would like to see you rank the following pieces if we follow your system:


Chopin Nocturne Op 27 1
Chopin Nocturne Op 37 2
Chopin Nocturne Op 48 1
Chopin Polonaise Op 44
Chopin Fantasie Op 49
Bach Italian Concerto
Brahms Op 118 3

[virtuoso80]

Unfortunately there's s decent bit there I'm not familiar with. The Nocturne Op 48, No. 1 is a solid ****. Only Polonaise I've done are the Military (**1/2) and Heroic (****). The Brahms looks interesting I'll have to try it. The infamous Brahms Rhapsody Op. 79, No. 1 I'd give ***1/2.

Some other Chopin I've worked on:
Ballade 1: ****1/2
Ballade 2: ****
Scherzo 1: ***1/2
Scherzo 2: ****
Fantasie-Impromptu Op. 66: **1/2
Mazurkas: I don't want to go through all 51(!), even though I've pretty familiar with these. If I'm going to stick with my 'to do it well' notion, then I think they are harder than their notes. Op. 17, No 4, for example, I might give **1/2, even though there are no technical challenges.

[beebert]

I see, well thanks still!

Anyway, I still do not agree with quite a few things. For example, I would not say that the Op 48 Nocturne is as hard as the 2nd Ballade and even harder than the 1st Scherzo.. I also wouldn't consider any of the Preludes as harder than the Chopin Ballades you have ranked... I agree with a **** on the Nocturne, but I would have given the 1st and 2nd Ballade ***** respectively.. The Scherzo ****1/2 and the Fantasie Impromptu ***

[virtuoso80]

I can certainly understand the reasoning behind that. I realize the way I'm rating these is largely, "If someone told me I had to perform this piece soon, how stressed would I be." The first Scherzo, despite it's technical difficulties, has tons of repeats, and doesn't make me worry that much. The Nocturne, on the other hand, feels worse with regard to mood, balance, and how hard it will be to get the C major section and the 'A' section return really good. So, I'd be more stressed to perform the Nocturne than the 1st Scherzo.

Same for most of my other ratings that seem non-typical - Tell me I have to perform Op. 10, No. 1, and I think, "Alright, that will take some work, but I feel comfortable with it." Tell me I have to perform Op. 25, No. 7, and it's, "oh geez, it's going to give me a migraine trying to get this just right, and I really don't know if I can!"

[beebert]

Yes there I can agree with you. But the case is this, when you get technically proficient enough, I can for sure tell you that the hardest of the most famous composers might be Johann Sebastian Bach and Franz Schubert.