Most virtuoso sounding work compared to the actual difficulty level?

[thesixthsensemusic]

I was wondering, what kind of pieces look the most impressive when performed, compared to how hard they actually are.

Before trying them myself a long time ago, I used to think Schubert's impromptus op. 90 no. 2 and 4 were extremely hard. They still seem to sound dazzingly virtuosic compared to how hard they actually are.

Same goes for Beethoven's 1st piano sonata (op. 2 no. 1) especially the finale...

As I like to learn new pieces but can't be bothered to constantly be punching above my weight (learning a Chopin ballade for example works, but takes half a year hehe) Im looking for nice audience-friendly works that seem like a good trade-off between time spent and satisfaction from playing them for other people.

I prefer to take on one really demanding work every once and a while but some concert-worthy material that does not take many months to study, put aside, let it ripen and re-study, would be very welcome.

Your thoughts?

[alpacinator1]

Debussy's Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum is pretty easy and sounds flashy, especially when it's played fast. Might be a nice encore piece or something.

[cabbynum]

Not sure if you already know this one. Flight of the bumble bee really isn't that hard. People love it. If you've got small hands I suggest rewriting a few of the left hands chords.

[perfect_pitch]

If you've got small hands I suggest rewriting a few of the left hands chords.

That's no excuse... I can barely reach a 10th and yet I still played those damn chords.

[cabbynum]

I'm saying for him if he doesn't want to spend a ton of time on it.
If you can reach a tenth you should be fine. I havnt played it in months so I can't remember if there is anything for than a tenth.
You could roll them too, I think that sounds better in some places.

[cabbynum]

Oh also, depending on the audience. CPE Bach solfeggio is a good one.
Or you could make it semi virtuosic and make it for the left hand alone or right hand alone.

[david456103]

what about flight of the bumblebee? though i'm not sure, it might actually be hard(i've never tried it)

[cabbynum]

You could play it David.
It's a test of endurance and really that's giving it more credit than it deserves. It's just a whirlwind of chromatic scales played quickly with some odd bits here and there.
It shows off without really showing trying.

[j_menz]

Note re the Flight of the Bumblebee. I assume you guys are thinking of the Rachmaninoff transcription. 

There's one by Georges Cziffra out there as well (which I prefer), and that really ain't for the fainthearted.

[cabbynum]

I have no idea how Cziffra plays it at his tempo.
It almost sounds like a glissando in octaves on the white and black keys.

[justanamateur]

I have no idea how Cziffra plays it at his tempo.
It almost sounds like a glissando in octaves on the white and black keys.

There's also one by Volodos! I can't judge which one is harder since I'm waaaay below the level of either. To me, they both sound insane. :O

The piece with the greatest difference between actual and perceived-by-a-non-pianist difficulty that I know of is the L'Orage étude from Burgmüller (op. 109 IIRC). Even a complete noob like me can master it in no time.

Another virtuosic-sounding piece that, judging from the score and the first page (the only page I've played), doesn't seem so bad is Rush Hour in Hong Kong. I intend to learn this one in its entirety because this is the only character piece I know that is set in my hometown!

Another option is to play Mozart sonatas super-fast, though that's not a particularly Mozartian thing to do; rather, it just kills the music.

[cabbynum]

There's also one by Volodos! I can't judge which one is harder since I'm waaaay below the level of either. To me, they both sound insane. :O

from what ive seen, the voloos one is just cziffras with a few added notes and more dissonance.

[cabbynum]

feel free to correct me if im wrong... J_menz

[porcupine]

I'd like to put a vote in for Khachaturian's Toccata - pretty flashy and very dramatic, with a nice lyrical bit in the middle. And not excessively difficult - though audiences are generally impressed with it.

[j_menz]

feel free to correct me if im wrong... J_menz

LOL - why me, particularly? Anyone can have a go!

I'm not familiar with the Volodos one.

[cabbynum]

LOL - why me, particularly? Anyone can have a go!

I'm not familiar with the Volodos one.

I figured you would be, I mean every other musical question on here you seem to have an answer...

[j_menz]

every other musical question on here you seem to have an answer...

Far from it. I do tend to refrain from answering the one's I don't, though. A course of action I would commend to others, I might add.

[cabbynum]

Far from it. I do tend to refrain from answering the one's I don't, though. A course of action I would commend to others, I might add.

And that's greatly appreciated

[awesom_o]

Honestly, nothing is ever going to sound impressive or virtuoso unless you actually are a virtuoso.
Once you are a virtuoso, you can make ANYTHING sound impressive. And that's what being a virtuoso really means.

[thesixthsensemusic]

Honestly, nothing is ever going to sound impressive or virtuoso unless you actually are a virtuoso.
Once you are a virtuoso, you can make ANYTHING sound impressive. And that's what being a virtuoso really means.

I am talking about the difficulty of learning a piece vs. the perceived level of required skill the audience experiences.
For example, do you think Schumann;s Symphonic Studies sound as hard as they actually are? To me they don't. I know that that is not correct though because I know the score.

Pieces that are difficult because of huge chords and big leaps one has to take over the keyboard but are not very fast, to the average listener, seem easier than fast-paced but not so complex works. Does that make any sense?

[j_menz]

If you mean by "the average listener" someone who neither plays the piano themselves nor has extensive musical listening experience, then really anything harder than, say, Fuer Elise is unimaginably difficult, and they really can't tell the difference.

Also, despite the obsession with such matters here, I don't think they care.

[apollon1717]

I was wondering, what kind of pieces look the most impressive when performed, compared to how hard they actually are.

Before trying them myself a long time ago, I used to think Schubert's impromptus op. 90 no. 2 and 4 were extremely hard. They still seem to sound dazzingly virtuosic compared to how hard they actually are.

Same goes for Beethoven's 1st piano sonata (op. 2 no. 1) especially the finale...

As I like to learn new pieces but can't be bothered to constantly be punching above my weight (learning a Chopin ballade for example works, but takes half a year hehe) Im looking for nice audience-friendly works that seem like a good trade-off between time spent and satisfaction from playing them for other people.

I prefer to take on one really demanding work every once and a while but some concert-worthy material that does not take many months to study, put aside, let it ripen and re-study, would be very welcome.

Your thoughts?

Chopin Ballade?..How did you learn that,I mean what kind of practising did you do?..Cortot perhaps?
Try Brahms Intermezzi op.117.Or perhaps "Papillons"  Schumann..
Debussy Preludes Book 1 f.e.nr.1 and 2.Wonderfull gems and soundscapes...

[thomasmgill]

This Scarlatti sonata is a grade 6 piece and honestly most pianists could sightread it easily. But it sounds much more impressive than the actual difficulty. I was taken aback at how easy it was to learn compared to how it sounds. No harder than a Bach Invention, it's just really fast but the hands never play 8th notes at the same time.

Scarlatti - Sonata No. 266 in D Minor (K. 517)

(Yes, I realize it is on the harpsichord but it sounds impressive on the piano as well)