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?