Alkan Barcarolle: Grade 8+?

[pbryld]

I'm learning this piece and wonder why this is above grade 8? It seems relatively easy.

[perprocrastinate]

Technically easy (velocity, figuration, etc.), but not "musically" easy.

I have no idea how to elaborate on this, so someone else will come along (or slap me silly across the face if I'm completely wrong).

Actually, I do have an example. Chopin Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48-1. Relatively "easy" to pull off playing the notes, but playing it well is a different story.

Quoted from a thread: "Sustaining a musical line on top of a row of chords at pianissimo is not easy."

Things like that make some relatively slow pieces difficult.

[j_menz]

Alkan generally is a lot more difficult than just the notes sugges. This is even true when the notes suggest incredible difficulty.

The Barcarolle (I assume you mean the Op 65 one) is not especially tricky notewise, but requires a very fine touch to pull off musically.  Not sure I'd put it at 8+, though.

A solid performance of it requires considerable skill in any case.

[beebert]

Technically easy (velocity, figuration, etc.), but not "musically" easy.

I have no idea how to elaborate on this, so someone else will come along (or slap me silly across the face if I'm completely wrong).

Actually, I do have an example. Chopin Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48-1. Relatively "easy" to pull off playing the notes, but playing it well is a different story.

Quoted from a thread: "Sustaining a musical line on top of a row of chords at pianissimo is not easy."

Things like that make some relatively slow pieces difficult.

If we are now comparint Alkan's Barcarolle with Chopin's Op 48 No 1, why not compare it with Chopin's Barcarolle? Same thing there as in the Nocturne actually.. Not as hard to hit the right notes as in his 2nd or 4th Ballade for example, but to make it sound right.. Then the Chopin Barcarolle(and Op 48 No 1) becomes brutal. Really brutal. I would not say that the Op 48 No 1 is "easy" to pull off playing the notes though, to play that thing hands together is murder..

[pbryld]

OK. I thought that the grades only referred to technical difficulty though..

[beebert]

The Op 48 No 1 and the Barcarolle, ARE technically difficult. Very difficult. Just not in the same since as La Campanella or something like that. It doesn't make them any less difficult though, you need a very well developed technique to be able to play them.