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Joined: Sep 2005
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The search for the most difficult piece ever is quite useless. It doesn't say anything about the quality of the piece. I could write down the most difficult piece right now, if I wanted to. But it would sound like garbage.
Best regards,
David Ramezani
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Joined: Jun 2005
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Originally posted by pianojerome:
Kissin. He's one of my favorite pianists. Yup. Same here.
JOHN
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Originally posted by Lemon Pledge:
Yes. In a Juilliard class I was assigned one of his player piano studies, transcribed for 4 hands.
A fine piece, but a pointless performance exercise. It's music for machines, and humans can't possibly play it as well as a machine can.
I know that Nancarrow wrote some pieces for sentient pianists, but I've never heard any of them. The Bugallo-Williams duo would like to have a word with you.
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Originally posted by Brendan:
The Bugallo-Williams duo would like to have a word with you. I had to Google that one. Clearly they're an accomplished and dedicated pair who have found an interesting professional niche. More power to them for having attracted an audience. I couldn't find any audio clips. But I have heard others attempt transcriptions of Nancarrow's studies, and I can't imagine how these fascinating examples of concrete music could benefit from human interpretation. I'd be happy to have my attitude about that changed, of course.
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Joined: Jul 2005
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I wouldn't say that this is the most difficult piece ever, but it's sure up there in the top tier:
Buson's transcription of the Bach Chaconne.
John
Current works in progress:
Beethoven Sonata Op. 10 No. 2 in F, Haydn Sonata Hoboken XVI:41, Bach French Suite No. 5 in G BWV 816
Current instruments: Schimmel-Vogel 177T grand, Roland LX-17 digital, and John Lyon unfretted Saxon clavichord.
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Joined: Jan 2004
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Originally posted by jon-nyc: Here's a measure from Sorabji:
![[Linked Image]](https://www.pianoworld.com/Uploads/files/sorabjisonataEx11.jpg) For lack of a better phrase: Holy F! 
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As hard as Sorabji's O.C. is, I think it sucks as far as musicality is performed. Way too long and bad sounding (sorry for my bad articulation).
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Originally posted by TS: Originally posted by jon-nyc: [b] Here's a measure from Sorabji: To borrow from Monty Python, "I've had worse." "No, you haven't. Your arm's off." "It's just a flesh wound." :p 
Every day we are afforded a new chance. The problem with life is not that you run out of chances. In the end, what you run out of are days.
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I think that this Sorabij example suffers from exceptionally poor engraving more than from anything else.
Besides, I recently heard the Boulez sonata no. 2 in concert and have to agree that it's extremely difficult. I'd also nominate the Ives Concord Sonata as one of the hardest pieces out there.
I have an ice cream. I cannot mail it, for it will melt.
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Originally posted by Derulux: Originally posted by TS: [b] Originally posted by jon-nyc: [b] Here's a measure from Sorabji: For lack of a better phrase: Holy F! [/b]
"No, you haven't. Your arm's off."
"It's just a flesh wound." :p [/b]"Thats a dead horse."
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Joined: Oct 2004
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I might have to rethink this after looking at the Sorabji excerpt, but my top three in the hardest piece swepstakes have always been Stravinsky's "Three Movements from Petrouchka," Ravel's "Scarbo" and Brahms "Paganini Variations" (either book).
Phil Bjorlo
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Scary, really scary. What piece is that, so I could remember to never try playing it.....
It's weird how some things just LOOK difficult from the very beginning.
Hi from South Africa
lallie
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Originally posted by John Citron:
I wouldn't say that this is the most difficult piece ever, but it's sure up there in the top tier:
Buson's transcription of the Bach Chaconne.
John I wouldn't put it in the same league as Scarbo or the HammerKlavier.
If you don't talk to your children about equal temperment, who will?
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Joined: Feb 2005
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Originally posted by Ronel Augustyn:
Scary, really scary. What piece is that, so I could remember to never try playing it.....
Its from one of his Sonatas - i don't recall which.
If you don't talk to your children about equal temperment, who will?
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Don't know about the hardest, but Finnissy's music seems quite tricky: Here\'s a page. Continued here. What those sound like.
"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music." - Aldous Huxley
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![[Linked Image]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v373/Thracozaag/tango_nancarrow.jpg) koji
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oops, Ignore this  I replied to the wrong thread
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Originally posted by Thracozaag:
koji I think I just lowered my IQ by 30 points trying to figure that out. OUCH.
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Yeah, and that's the easy page. :rolleyes:
koji
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Yikes! 10000 Post Club Member
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I just listened to the excerpt of the Finnissy piece. I would rather have a root canal without anesthesia than listen to the whole thing. :rolleyes:
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