Hardest movement of Rachmaninoff sonata no. 1?

[dsch313]

Hi! I created an account just now to ask this question- which movement of Rachmaninoff's first sonata is the hardest?

I'm a 14 year old piano student and Rachmaninoff sonata 1 is my dream piece. I've played pieces like Liszt's Transcendental etudes no. 5 and 8 and the piano transcription of Erlkonig, which from what I can tell are around the same difficulty as the sonata in terms of technique (though of course very different).

But the sonata would definitely be the longest piece I've ever played and would obviously require a LOT of stamina, so I'm hoping to learn each movement separately, starting with the most technically difficult one.

Also, any tips on how to practice/learn the piece, or on how to make it sound coherent (since from what I've heard that's difficult for this sonata too), would be great!

Thanks!