What is your ultimate goal piece?

[chopin2015]

Surprisingly I don't have the desire to play a concerto; it seems way to nerve-racking to synchronize with an orchestra.

Dreaming for: Rachmaninoff Sonata No. 2, Schubert Sonata D.960, & All Chopin/Rachmaninoff Etudes

In Reality: Brahms' Hungarian Dances (especially No. 1)(Piano Solo), Scriabin Prelude Op. 13, No. 6, and Chopin Scherzo No. 1 are ones I truly want to finish with finesse before I turn 30...and anything afterwards, we'll see.

Scherzo no 1 not that hard. I dislike how many times it repeats! I still cannot play all the way through at tempo but I have it memorized and it did not take long!

[nanabush]

Gaspard de la Nuit, because I've always been fascinated by spooky sh*t.  I'm pretty sure I'd be able to tackle Ondine, have played some previous Ravel around the same level; le Gibet would be tricky because I'm not too patient when I can't just 'easily' sight read something... the section that sounds remotely in A major but is still written with flats makes me cringe (big big chords in both hands, comes up twice I think).  Scarbo is brutal though.  I spent most of my time when learning Alborada finding a good way to play the repeated notes.  Scarbo is just so much worse, and they hop everywhere. 

Simply because of the third part still being way beyond me, I refuse to even start this set!

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Oh, and Scriabin's 2nd Sonata.  Again, I think I have the technique for it, but I haven't managed to really sit and learn it.  I can't get enough of the first movement!

[49410enrique]

oh gosh where do i begin...

i'll just 'reach in the bag and pull one out' yeah this one is amongst the many

more from 'the bag'

i can't love the kapustin op 40 set (which itself is a sinlge entry on my list) and not love this set equally (but for different reasosns).  these seven as a set are a single bucket list entry as well on my end. i can listen to these over and over and over....

Earl Wild 7 virtuoso Etudes on Gershwin Songs

[starstruck5]

Still the Appassionata -no point in setting myself an unobtainable goal -it used to be Bach's Italian Concerto -but I nailed that a few years back and I now I don't play it anymore -couldn't probably because it would be brown with rust and make me cough from the dust -I prefer Handel to Bach these days anyhow -

[chewbacha]

Perhaps the ultimate "goal" piece for me would be the Schumann Kreisleriana. It was just by chance that I picked up that CD from my old teacher's dusty box set of CDs. The performer was Argerich and it was simply sublime. It was pretty much the piece that made me "click".

[toby1]

I have a list:

Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin (above all)

then in no particular order:

Fantasie Impromptu by Chopin

Winter Wind Etude by Chopin

Rage over a Lost Penny by Beethoven

Fruhlingslied by Mendelssohn

Wedding Day at Troldhaugen by Grieg

Les Barricades Misterieuses by François Couperin

Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin

Angelus by Liszt

Traumerei by Schumann

all of my exam pieces

And anything else I hear between now and then I decide I like

[xiaoyuhuang43]

Hmm... either Bach's Goldberg Variations or Rachmaninov's 2nd Concerto.

[xavura]

I'm going to go with Beethoven - Hammerklavier.

And probably the Chopin etudes and whatever else I may stumble upon.

[clavile]

My ultimate goal piece has been to play Mozart's 21st Concerto Mov.3 Two Piano; after reaching it, I am estatic to play it for my upcoming recital!!!

I suppose you could say another "goal" piece would be Liszt's Liebestraum No.3 , but my fingers are too small for a lot of the large chords. Maybe later!

I don't so much have "goal pieces" anymore, as much as I have a desire to teach and prepare applications for a music scholarship!

I suppose any piece that would help this is my "ultimate goal piece"

[niluh01]

For me it would be the Goldberg Variations. I know, it's many pianist's dream, but for me this is a set of pieces that I have heard since I was young (my dad loved them) and now I have come to appreciate them greatly.
The second piece would be Hungarian Rhapsody no 2 after Vladimir Horowitz. If I could achieve that level and play this well, then I can die happily.

[worov]

Well, Für Elise, of course ! Just kidding !


Probably this :

or this

[patrickd]

Alkan's Concerto for Solo Piano.

[graceandbeauty]

I have so many but of the popular pieces I look forward to learning. I believe that Beethoven's Appasionata would be on that list : )

[mjames]

Maybe just a tiny little bit? Please...?  

EDIT:
This is a serious question, which I have sometimes thought about (but obviously unable to do empirical research):

Do you think it is easier to play a piece of about 25 min with 4 movements or a piece of 15 min without any pauses between the movements?

Someone else who adores his Allegro de Concerto! One of my absolute favorites. So much joy, so much ornamentation, and insanely difficult too. After learning to play this, I think I would walk with a crazy smile on my face for everyday and every minute for the rest of my life.

The others are:
All of Liadov's works!
Playing the Op. 62 nocturnes in away i would be proud of
Polonaise Fantasie
Fantasie Op. 49
All Ballades
Scriabin Sonata op. 19
Mendelssohn Prelude and Fugue in E major/minor
And playing Schubert's Fantasie with my future lover. Assuming I get one, lol

But ideally, for me it's limitless. I still have 40+ years of living left!!!

[bronnestam]

Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 ...

[perprocrastinate]

[...]Alkan's Concerto for Solo Piano.

I laughed when I read my post. For some reason, Alkan has become less appealing to me now. A lot less appealing. (How terribly unfortunate!)

[indianajo]

I've been working on Pictures at an Exhibition for 30 years, and now that am retired am within a month or two of being note perfect.  Might take all next winter to get it up to speed, even my relaxed speed.  I'm playing it in 90 minutes now.  
I bought the 2 piano 4 hands version of Rhapsody in Blue last week.  I didn't want to learn the simplified Warner Bros arrangement I've had five year, as it would mess up my memory for the real thing.  I have the 2 similar sounding pianos; now if I can just find another do-it-yourselfer in this area whose hobby is not bass (fish) taxidermy.  I also want to rework the Ira Gershwin part for Hammond H100 organ.  (nice trumpet, clarinet, oboe sounds).  
I've been working on the manual parts of JSBach Passacaglia & Fugue in C min for 30 years, but the real work started when I bought and repaired an electronic organ in 2009-10.  I've got page 1 to 3 up to speed (Peters ed) but it may take years before I learn to color it with different sounds (stops).  May take extensive modification to the organ, mine doesn't have any multisound presets or modern conveniences.
I've got Movement 3 of Moonlight Sonata Beethoven up to about 1/3 speed of Rudolf Serkin's blistering pace.  At age 62 I am not too optimistic of there being a lot of speed improvement, but I do like finishing things. I started movement 1 in 1961 and played it for the Piano Guild tryouts. I started movement 2 and 3 in 1982 when I bought my own piano, I have been note perfect about a year on movement 3.
Maybe Beethoven Appassionata  some day. My piano teacher started me on Pathetique in 1964, then took the music back to the store after a couple of months, without comment. I was concentrating on bassoon in those days, as the band director was getting antsy about the $360 he had wasted on loaning me the instrument.   I quit piano in late 1964, to not play much until I bought my own in 1982.  
And I want to play by ear, Cole Porter, Beatles songs, Gershwin movie music, Johnny Mercer, etc.  6 songs down including Yellow Bird, Day Tripper, Baby Elephant Walk, Sugar Plum Fairy.  All these could use further improvement of the arrangements.  
I'd like to add Finger Buster and other Fats Waller songs to the Joplin rags I play already: Paragon Rag, Magnetic Rag, Maple Leaf Rag. I saw one of the students planning his spring recital quote Finger Buster, I though only people that watched  The Blues television series on PBS had ever heard it played.   No Entertainer in my dream sheet, Marvin Hamlisch ruined that song for me forever.  You would think it was written by Chopin, all that stopping and starting he did.  And I want to learn to play Pine Top Perkins Boogie Woogie the way Joann Castle did once on television.  Also her version of American Patrol.

[chopin2015]

Everything by Liszt and Alkan

[virtuoso80]

My ultimate goal is to have this written about me 100 years from now:

**** ******** is one of the most important musical figures of the early 21st century. As a performer, he completely changed the way people think about what a piano performance could be. "No ever played quite like **** ********. Not Horowitz, and maybe not even Liszt," said one critic. And his musical impact was hardly confined to performance. As a composer, critic, and popular commentator, **** ******** challenged us to reexamine...

...you get the idea. I sometimes think I might have a bit of an ego. 

[j_menz]

...you get the idea. I sometimes think I might have a bit of an ego. 

Depends on whether you reach your goal or not.  Beethoven appears to have recognised his own genius, but he was right. On you  the jury is still out. 

Oh, and I've changed my goal piece. I now want to play Cage's As Slow As Possible, slower than the current project. And finish it! 

[virtuoso80]

Depends on whether you reach your goal or not.  Beethoven appears to have recognised his own genius, but he was right. On you  the jury is still out. 

Oh, and I've changed my goal piece. I now want to play Cage's As Slow As Possible, slower than the current project. And finish it! 

Lol, we had a lively debate in college about whether there was actually any point to playing that piece, or whether it simply exists best as an abstract idea.

I DO one day want to do justice to Phrygian Gates by John Adams, though.

[lighthand045]

I think it would be Leo Ornstein's Piano Quintet because its overall epicness. I used to believe it would be Alkan's Concerto for piano solo but it has been very accesible to me lately that i think i could achieve a performance level(i don't have much expectations) by Alkan's 200th birthday .

Oh, and I also want so badly to learn Art Tatum's Tiger Rag, Tea for Two or his solo of Gershwin's I got rhythm.

[lateromantic]

Oh, and I've changed my goal piece. I now want to play Cage's As Slow As Possible, slower than the current project. And finish it! 

I've been thinking about doing his 4'33", if my technique is up to it.  Of course, musical interpretation is more important than technique, so as a first step I'm listening to various recordings to try to get a feel for how I think it should be done.   

More seriously, I think I'm falling in love with Chopin's Polonaise-Fantaisie.  Over the last few days I'm been working through it, figuring out fingerings.  But it's really caught my imagination, and I'd love to add it to my repertoire.

[cabbynum]

I have a few, the Beethoven apssionata sonata. Rachmaninoff piano concertos 1-3 and then Paganini rhap

Right now though my attainableish goal would be liszt transcendental etude no.8

[thalbergmad]

One day I might have another bash at the Tchaikovsky/Pabst Sleeping Beauty, but it has defeated me before.

Thal

[lisztmusicfan]

Definite goal piece is either Rach concerto 2 or Hungarian Rhapsody!

[patrickd]

Beethoven's op 111.

[m1469]

The circle of fifths.

[kc333]

Beethoven's Late Sonatas
Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2
Liszt Sonata in B minor
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2

And literally every Romantic work of chamber music, simply because I'd never find the people or time to play them with.

[j_menz]

I've been thinking about doing his 4'33", if my technique is up to it.  Of course, musical interpretation is more important than technique, so as a first step I'm listening to various recordings to try to get a feel for how I think it should be done.   

I actually have a CD with Stephanie McCallum playing just one movement from it. 

[orangesodaking]

Alkan's Concerto for Solo Piano.

Same with me.

[cinnamon21]

Beethoven - Sonata Op. 81a, Op. 110
Chopin - Scherzo 3, Ballade no 4, Barcarolle, Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Brillante, Introduction and Rondo Op. 16, Concerti
Liszt - Mephisto Waltz no. 1, Dante Sonata, TE 4,5,10,11,12
Schumann - Carnaval, Fantasy in C
Scriabin - Sonata no. 2,3,4,5, Fantasy op. 28
Franck - Prelude Choral et Fugue
Ravel - Jeux D'eau, La Valse, Miroirs, Gaspard de la Nuit, Valses Nobles et Sentimentales
Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto no. 2 and 3
Prokofiev - Piano Concerto no. 2, 3
Kapustin - Etudes Op. 40

[kakeithewolf]

Considering the etymology of ultimate and the concept of a goal, my ultimate goal pieces would be Wilde Jagd (Both on piano and organ), Ravel's Ondine, the four Mephisto Waltzes, and Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue (on a pedal piano, of course).

Possible goals? Certainly. Realistic goals? That much is dubious. Goals I will try for nonetheless? Absolutely.

[thepianist09]

After the Liszt Transcendental Etudes, which I can already play, you find yourself with the two hardest pieces of solo piano music. It would be great to play these beautifully as I can hack them quite well but not play them both (from memory) with real musicality yet, which I would love to do.

These pieces are:

Petrushka (Transcription)

Islamey - An Oriental Fantasy

[thalbergmad]

If you can play the Transcendental Etudes but not Islamey, something is seriously wrong.

Islamey is probably not in the top 200 of hardest solo pieces.

Thal

[onwan]

My goal is Chopin etudes Op.10 & 25 for now. Because they are just the minimum of pianist's repertoire, but are useful and probably very funny.

[thepianist09]

Thal,

I would disagree and say it is one of the hardest, although I get your point.

I have never really tried to learn Islamey, playing the hardest piece of piano music is not something that has particularly interested me. Playing the most beautiful yes, but technically challenges is not a touch on musicality.

[thalbergmad]

I would disagree and say it is one of the hardest, although I get your point.

I struggle to understand how someone with the ability to play the TE's can claim Islamey as difficult.

This is absurd.

Thal

[chopinrabbitthing]

I'd really love to do all 24 Chopin etudes...I don't know why....
And also Wagner/Liszt Tristan Und Isolde "Liebestode"

[brogers70]

Les Adieux and the late Schubert Sonata in Bb.

[thepianist09]

I struggle to understand how someone with the ability to play the TE's can claim Islamey as difficult.

This is absurd.

Thal

I am very good at scales, Thal, and considering Liszt is extremely chromatic I find it quite easy to play them. Islamey is not as chromatic and thus is slightly harder. As I have said I have never really been interested in learning it.

[jvardon]

The Moonlight Sonata.^_^.  Probably want it played at my funeral.

[stanleyy]

For me as an amateur with doubtful talent, when I could play the complete Chopin Etudes, that's when my life is complete. And I would die as a happy man! 

[haydnseeker]

Regard de l'Esprit de joie

[chopianologue]

For now, it's Rach 2.

[michaelpianist]

What piece(s) of music do you ultimately want to learn? Something that will allow you to die happily being able to say "Yeah I can finally play _____". For me it's a tie between Chopin's Ballade No.4 Op.52 and Rach's 2nd/3rd Piano Concerto. I feel that once I can execute those pieces with an ounce of justice I can smile happily, dance a little and pat myself on the back. This isn't to say I won't strive to learn other pieces after I learn those pieces, but I will be greatly satisfied knowing that I have reached a long term goal of mine.

Definitely the Rachmaninoff piano concertos. (I've played Ballade No. 4 last year.) How about adding Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit to that?