Hardest piece you know?

The Rachmaninoff concerti were pretty fun. Quite challenging though.

The first Tchaikovsky concerto was some of the most fun Ive ever had playing the piano. Probably because it's just so physical. I only played the first movement.

The Fantaisie impromptu was a killer.

Hmm... what else. The stupid Black key etude.

I almost broke myself playing the Fountains of Villa d' este by Liszt. Liszt is just too weird. It's all more virtuosic than it should be. But that's just me.

I've been seeing alot of people talking about Rhapsody in Blue. That one's lots of fun. Not INSANELY hard but pretty hard nonetheless. I checked out the original score a while back.

Rachmaninoff's piano transcription of Flight of the Bumblebee... When i tried it at the tempo I desired, i almost broke my wrist. :blush: not really. But I'm leaving that one alone for now.

The first movement of Medelssohn's e minor violin concerto. Brutal. Mostly because of the hard shifts and the musicality of the piece.

The Rachmaninoff concerti were pretty fun. Quite challenging though.

The first Tchaikovsky concerto was some of the most fun Ive ever had playing the piano. Probably because it's just so physical. I only played the first movement.

The Fantaisie impromptu was a killer.

Hmm... what else. The stupid Black key etude.

I almost broke myself playing the Fountains of Villa d' este by Liszt. Liszt is just too weird. It's all more virtuosic than it should be. But that's just me.

I've been seeing alot of people talking about Rhapsody in Blue. That one's lots of fun. Not INSANELY hard but pretty hard nonetheless. I checked out the original score a while back.

Rachmaninoff's piano transcription of Flight of the Bumblebee... When i tried it at the tempo I desired, i almost broke my wrist. :sleeping: not really. But I'm leaving that one alone for now.

Now that you mention Liszt; isn't he renown for very virtuous piece?

In Storm and Sunshine. That is a difficult march for Percussion.

:sleeping: (no kidding)

The first movement of Medelssohn's e minor violin concerto. Brutal. Mostly because of the hard shifts and the musicality of the piece.

Nah. I played it, it's not easy, but definitely not a killer either. If you want great difficulty in both technique and musicality, go for Brahms'.

(Not to say Mendelssohn isn't musical, cuz it very much is.)

Anyone know any good mallet pieces?

Nah. I played it, it's not easy, but definitely not a killer either. If you want great difficulty in both technique and musicality, go for Brahms'.

(Not to say Mendelssohn isn't musical, cuz it very much is.)

Full agree. There are enough more difficult violin concertos, e.g. the Brahms you mentioned, or Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, many 20th century concertos (Bartok 2nd!)

Don't you mention that little scallop Bartok :P hahaha jk agreed.

Another gorgeous concerto is Bruch's first. I'm playing it too. Lovely.

I am another one for the Bruch violin concerto. Imagine, I am 17 years old, and the hardest piece I can play is the Bruch! I almost have it learned, though, and I'll move on to something more challenging soon, I hope.

Anything by Stockhausen or the like...

Nah. I played it, it's not easy, but definitely not a killer either. If you want great difficulty in both technique and musicality, go for Brahms'.

(Not to say Mendelssohn isn't musical, cuz it very much is.)

The question was hardest piece you know. Right now, that is the first movement of Mendelssohn's second violin concerto.

A hard piece that I can play (though still learning) is the Bach Violin Ciaconna from Partita BWV 1004. Very good piece, written for the death of his cousin, Maria Barbara Bach.

...that is, if his purpose was to show himself off during her funeral. :)

That is a beautiful piece. I cannot wait until I learn it.

Stars and Stripes Forever arr. Guy Van Dueser

Jacobi's Sonata for Eb Alto Sax and Piano (second movement is the hardest, IMO) and Heumann's Slavonic Fantasy (another alto sax solo).

The hardest piece that I currently am able to sing is probably "Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo" which was originally from Mozart's Opera "Cosi fan Tutte". It was replaced by "Non siate ritrosi" because it was too long and in depth for a character like Guglielmo. Soon I hope to learn "Un dottor dell'armia sorte" from "Il barbiere di Siviglia". However, some of the most difficult singing I've ever done are the following:

Penderecki "Credo"

Poulenc "Gloria"

Edvard Grieg's "Fire Salmer"

Pistola in Verdi's "Falstaff"

"The One Note Song Mvmt. 1" by myself is a very challenging. You have to play it at a very quick tempo and very loudly. I've broken almost 110 strings so far in attempt to master the technique. The second and third movements are very easy, obviously because of the title, but still make excellent studies for beginning, serious piano students.

As an oboest the hardest piece may be Rossini's "La Scala Di Seta"

Hardest Piece, I've played so far - Op.53, Sonata in C Major "Waldstein" - Ludwig Van Beethoven. :)

I would love to learn that! That's my most favorite piano solo ever. Unfortunately it’s way over my head. I’m trying to learn Debussy’s Clair de Lune and I’m having difficulty! But then I haven’t been playing the piano that long and I’m totally self-learning. Although I’m also trying to learn Mendelssohn’s Venetian Gondola Op. 30 No. 6 and I think that’s harder than Clair de Lune. Only time will tell.

As far as the hardest piece I actually know, currently it has to be Gavotte en Rondeau from Bach’s partita #3 for solo violin (arranged for guitar). I’m actually trying it on the violin too, but it’s way beyond my violin skills at the moment. I am pulling it off on the guitar, but I think I’m playing it slower than its supposed to be played. I’m surprised that I’ve gotten this far with it though, so I’m happy with the relaxed tempo.

Learning it on the guitar is actually helping me to learn it on the violin too in a way. I still have a long way to go on the violin, but playing it on the guitar gives me a feel for it and that helps on the violin even though they are totally different instruments.

The hardest thing I’ve learned on the clarinet thus far is chromatic scales. (ha ha)

Hey! They’re hard to play when you’re first starting out!

The hardest thing I’ve learned so far on the trumpet is how to oil the valves.

I've played Waldstein. Don't think it's enormously difficult really. Except that part with the trills in the 3rd movement. That gave me a bit of trouble.

I think that the most difficult piece I've played must be the Toccata in D, by Prokofiev. I would like to take it a few tics faster, but simply couldn't handle it. Argericht and Horowitz played it faster! :D

Indeed 2nd piano concerto by Prokofiev, especially 1st and 4th movements is insane at parts. The cadenza is HUGE and really tough, since he's trying (at least imo) to emmulate 2 piano playing, with 1 pianist... brrrr...

Also

Messiaen Vingt Regards are insane! YouTube - Messiaen: Vingt Regards - No. 6, Par lui tout a ete fait , YouTube - Messiaen - Regard de l'Esprit de Joie - Roger Muraro , YouTube - Messiaen - Regard du Père - Roger Muraro

Ligetti Devil's staircase

I'll second that Prokoviev 2nd Piano concerto... INCREDIBLY difficult, particularly those cadenzas.

The only other thing I've tried to perform that is anywhere as difficult was the Ravel Concerto pour la main gauche, where ONE hand is trying to sound like two pianos. I never was able to really get that one off the ground to my satisfaction.

N.B. the above comments exclude the Ravel Piano Trio, which is, in my opinion, the single most difficult piano part to play in the entire repertoire.

As an oboest the hardest piece may be Rossini's "La Scala Di Seta"

Oboist*** :)

And..yeah it's hard, but it's something you have to learn to live with since its one of the most common audition excerpts.

That being said...

The hardest piece that I have come across on Oboe is the Richard Strauss Concerto. I love it, but it's so hard.

My hardest piece would be Chopins Waltz in A minor..... "what?! did he just say Waltz in A minor?"

yeah..

the left hand does 2 octave jumps. but im getting it down slowly ;:unsure:

Leopold Godowsky wrote a set of studies called 'Studies on Chopin's Etudes'.

And the basic premise was to take the aspects of technique that Chopin explores in each individual etude and then to take it further. For example a lot of them are just versions of the original etudes for left hand alone. This may sound nuts but it works amazingly. There is also a version of the famous C major (op. 10 no. 1) in which the left hand partakes in the same arpeggio pattern as the right hand and the melody is shared between the hands.

The craziest are the ones where he combines two of the etudes at the same time (the harmony is very carefully and cleverly interwoven)... Of course these really are some of the most technically demaning pieces ever written and are rarely performed. Godowsky supposedly first played them at a party in front of Horowitz and Rachmaninov, and both of them were dumbfounded....

There you go:

http://www.youngcomposers.com/forum/perniciosus-solo-piano-11108.html#post179659

Something damn difficult to play, especially pages 5-6 and little bit 7 :D

There you go:

http://www.youngcomposers.com/forum/perniciosus-solo-piano-11108.html#post179659

Something damn difficult to play, especially pages 5-6 and little bit 7 ;)

I have tried, I concur :happy: