Is the difficulty of Liszt's "La Campanella" etude greater than his Hungarian Rhapsody #12? I have looked through both, and they have difficult parts, but I can't really tell which one is more demanding. Also, at about what level should someone be at one year of piano study? My brother has been playing for that long and is playing some stuff quite well, (1st and 2nd movement of Moonlight sonata, 1st Movement of Pathetique, Mozart's rondo alla turca, Military Polonaise among others) Thanks!

wow at 1 year's experience he's doing very well i think... the military polonaise isn't easy at all... some of my friends who have been playing for 8+ years have problems with it... either your brother has been practising really hard with a lot of enthusiasm or he's really talented...=]

[ June 25, 2001: Message edited by: magnezium ]

Crash Test:
Are you talking about original versions of these pieces that your brother is playing?

I'd probably say that the Rhapsody is harder than Campanella. I've never played either, but judging from the fact that the Rhapsody is twice as long and has more varied writing and character changes, it's safe to bet on it as the harder one. As for all of the octave passages that make Campanella feared, it just depends on how fast you can move your wrist.

Brendan

All of the pieces he plays are the originals, and not simplified versions, every note is correct (I play them also), and very technically smooth, some harder parts still rough of course, but its getting there. He practices 4 or so hours a day (Hanon basically), is that too much or too little? He seems to be advancing very fast, but where should someone be at about one year? What level in piano would he be considered at? Thanks!

Without seeing and hearing him play it's hard say. From what you described here I have a feeling that he is doing just fine as long as he does not experience pain or other disturbing discomfort in critical parts like the wrists, formarms.

One thing is for sure: he must be technically talented. For anyone to be able to tackle these pieces for just over a year is remarkable enough, if not phenominal! Congratulations! He better finds himself a good teacher if he does not have one. My decades of music experiences have imbued in me the belief that the more talented the student, the more experienced and seasoned a teacher he needs. Good luck to both of you!

[QUOTE]Originally posted by CrashTest:
He practices 4 or so hours a day (Hanon basically), is that too much or too little? He seems to be advancing very fast, but where should someone be at about one year? What level in piano would he be considered at? Thanks![/b][/QUOTE

It's very hard to answer these questions. The year he has been playing is really such a relative figure. Consider that some beginners practice an hour a day, if that. At that rate, your brother has been playing for four years. Others practice more than your brother, so the year is not a deciding factor on "what level" he should have reached.
It depends on his innate talents, his musical and emotional maturity as well as on his technical advancement. Surely where he "should be" can be determined by his teacher. If he doesn't have one, it seems to me that he should. Someone making this kind of progress could be learning bad habits without the guidance of a very skilled teacher.

Thanks for the replies! Does anybody know of a website with review and analysis of classical pieces? (Not recordings, but the pieces themselves)Also, what Hungarian Rhapsody did Evgeny Kissin play at the 92' grammies? I've been searching all over but I couldn't find it, thanks!

In terms of technical challenges, I think the Etude is more difficult to play than the Rhapsody --the Rhapsody at least has the advantage, imho, of being more accessible to the hands. If you can master the technical problems presented in the first four pages or so of the rhapsody, the rest will follow (if you've the stamina), but that's my own experience. Your mileage may vary.

Given what you've said, I would place your brother at an upper-intermediate to lower-advanced level of playing. And, yes, he should have a good teacher who can competently direct his progress.