[Alkan’s Piano Pieces] The World’s Most Difficult!? A Curated Selection of Fiendishly Challenging Works That Make Pianists Cry
Even for pianists with highly polished technique, Charles-Valentin Alkan’s piano works are said to be far from easy to play flawlessly.
Born in 1813, Alkan was a composer and pianist whose virtuosity is often said to have rivaled that of his contemporary, the “magician of the piano,” Franz Liszt.
In this article, we introduce several of Alkan’s most popular piano pieces—works he wrote and could nonchalantly dispatch with transcendental technique—that are frequently featured in concerts and recitals.
Playlist
| [Alkan’s Piano Pieces] The World’s Most Difficult!? A Curated Selection of Fiendishly Challenging Works That Make Pianists Cry | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| show_chart | Title | Playlist | Review |
| 1 | Etude “Railway” Op.27Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | A masterpiece of Alkan’s railway depiction |
| 2 | 12 Etudes in All Minor Keys, Op. 39: No. 12 in E Minor, “Aesop’s Feast”Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | The advanced technique and imagination of Alkan’s works |
| 3 | Grand Sonata “Four Ages,” Op. 33: II. “Like Faust at Thirty”Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | A masterful sonata depicting Alkan’s four stages of life |
| 4 | Concert Etude “Knight,” Op. 17Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | Alkan Transcendental Etudes Knight |
| 5 | Scherzo Focoso, Op. 34Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | A highly technically demanding scherzo piece composed by Alkan |
| 6 | 12 Etudes in All Minor Keys, Op. 39 No. 3 in G minor “Diabolical Scherzo”Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | Composed by Alkan, a devilish scherzo of transcendental virtuosity and difficulty |
| 7 | Saltarello in E minor, Op. 23Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | Alkan’s transcendental virtuoso piano piece, Saltarello |
| 8 | 12 Etudes in All Major Keys, Op. 35 No. 1 in A Major “Allegretto”Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | The High-Difficulty Etudes of Alkan, the Wizard of the Piano |
| 9 | 12 Exercises in All Major Keys, Op. 35: No. 5 in F Major, “Allegro barbaro”Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | Savage, exhilarating music in Alkan’s fiendishly difficult pieces |
| 10 | 12 Etudes in All Major Keys, Op. 35: No. 7 in E-flat major “Housework in the Neighboring Village”Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | An étude composed by Alkan, themed on a fire |
| 11 | Reminiscence: Three Pieces in a Pathetic Genre, Op. 15 — No. 2 “Wind”Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | Alkan’s formidable piece “Le Vent” (“The Wind”) demands both technique and expression. |
| 12 | Song Collection, Book III, Op. 65, No. 6: BarcarolleCharles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | Alkan's difficult and lyrical piano piece |
| 13 | Reminiscence: Three Pieces in the Pathetic Genre, Op. 15 – No. 3 “The Dead Woman”Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | Alkan’s virtuosic masterpiece “The Dead Woman” |
| 14 | Nocturne No. 1, Op. 22Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | Alkan’s nocturne—advanced and beautiful. |
| 15 | Gigue and Ballet Music in the Old Style, Op. 24Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | Alkan’s ultra-difficult gigue and ballet music |
| 16 | Twelve Etudes in All Minor Keys No. 2 in D minor, in a Morossian rhythmCharles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | A piano solo piece characterized by triple meter |
| 17 | RailwayCharles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | A piano piece by Alkan depicting the railway |