1. Scherzo 12. Scherzo 23. Scherzo 34. Ballade 35. Scherzo 46. Ballade 2 7. Ballade 18. Ballade 4They're all pretty ridiculous.
Ballade 1 over all Scherzi?Really? Maybe I should learn all Scherzi then.
Aargh, most people are underrating the difficult of Ballade No. 2.
We had this discussion recently and it seems that the types of technique you have affect severly what you think. here is my list, easiest to hardest:Ballade 2Scherzo4Scherzo 2Ballade 4 (only the coda is difficult, but it is more difficult than the previous three)Scherzo 3Ballade 3Scherzo 1Ballade 1 (mostly because of the coda)very profitable repertoire. You should learn all eaight of them.
shall we banter?My opinions about the relative difficulty of these 8 pieces I got when I learned them, dear. The second ballade fits very well in the hand, and those repeated notes in the coda require very little effort if you remain close to the keyboard and not try to overdo it.I find the first scherzo eons harder than the third. It is much more uncomfortable in the hand, and requires a lot of coordination and bodyweight shifting, something the third scherzo only calls for in the last page or so.I am glad you think the 3rd balade is easy. We disagree. I find it complex, demanding loots of coordintation, a very wise sense of timing and a vast color palette. It took me months to just learn the notes, whereas the 4th balade I got up and runing in a couple of weeks. What is it that you think is so hard about this work? I love it with passion, but up to the last 3 pages it is little more than an oversized nocturne, and even the coda is very pianistic and fits well in the hand.Nothing wrong with disagreeing. Watch your icecream, you may stain your shirt.
Yeah, thats what I was thinking...
I agree with both of you..IMO the ballades are harder than the scherzi.Among the ballads when simply considering technique the 2 is the hardest. With 4 in a close 2nd, followed by 1 and 3.When considering musicality, I would say its a tossup between the 2 and 4, followed by 1, 3. Obviously the musicality cannot be achieved without proper technique being mastered.And yes, 3 is possibly the easiest.Among people I know who have played the ballades, there seems to be consensus that 2 and 4 are the toughies. The difficulties I've come across while learning these pieces indicate the same..
1 and 4 are both technically more difficult than 2, but it doesn't look that way. 3 might even be more difficult than 2.