Difficult Piano Pieces | Even Pros Can't Play Them!? Classical Works Requiring Virtuosic Technique
There are countless classical piano pieces in the world that boast a level of difficulty that seems almost unplayable.
Their difficulty is downright diabolical!
Some works are said to be playable by only a tiny handful of even professional pianists.
This time, we’ve picked out famous masterpieces from among these most challenging piano pieces—works renowned for requiring transcendental virtuosity.
We’ll introduce them along with videos that showcase pianists’ superhuman fingerwork, so please enjoy them with both your ears and your eyes.
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Difficult Piano Pieces | Even Pros Can’t Play Them!? Virtuoso-Level Classical Works (11–20)
12 Etudes, Op. 10 No. 2Frederic Chopin
Among Frédéric Chopin’s works, the masterpiece Twelve Études is said to boast one of the highest levels of difficulty.
This time, I would like to introduce Étude Op.
10 No.
2 from that set.
Although its performative impact is not especially large, it is known for being extremely difficult.
The key point of this piece is, above all, the opening section: because the 1st and 2nd fingers must hold chords, the remaining 3rd–5th fingers have to play the other parts.
For these reasons, it is known as a high-difficulty piece that demands innate hand size and supple fingers.
12 Etudes Op. 25-6Frederic Chopin
Frédéric Chopin, the great French composer who created many beautiful masterpieces.
He is also known for having produced numerous difficult works, and among them, the Étude Op.
25 No.
6 boasts one of the highest levels of difficulty.
The most challenging aspects of this piece are undoubtedly the right-hand trills in thirds and the chromatic scales in thirds.
Thirds are difficult enough as it is, but in this work you must also play a dramatic melody with the left hand in addition to the thirds.
The difficulty is considerable, but if you’re confident in your skills, by all means give it a try.
Toccata in C major, Op. 7Robert Schumann
Renowned as one of Schumann’s most challenging works, the Toccata in C major, Op.
7.
The word “toccata” in Japanese conveys a sense of “touching,” and it seems Schumann conceived it as an improvisatory piece that could also serve as a finger warm-up for performers.
However, despite being a so-called warm-up, this piece is by no means easy.
On the contrary, it ranks among the most difficult in Schumann’s output.
In pursuit of maximum virtuosic effect, it is filled with treacherous passages, and both the first and second themes demand highly advanced technique.
Three Movements from PetrushkaIgor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky, the great Russian composer who left numerous masterpieces characterized by primitivism, neoclassicism, and serialism.
His Three Movements from Petrushka is one of his signature piano works.
The piece is extraordinarily difficult; it was created after the great pianist Arthur Rubinstein asked Stravinsky to write “the most difficult piece ever.” It can be considered challenging in every respect—requiring agile fingerwork, stamina, wide leaps on the keyboard, and deep expressivity.
Wanderer FantasyFranz Schubert
Franz Schubert, a great composer who represents Romantic music.
While many great composers are often blessed with instrumental talent from a young age, Schubert could hardly be called a virtuoso.
Even so, he did write highly virtuosic works, and among them the most famous is the Wanderer Fantasy.
It is said that even Schubert himself found this piece difficult to play and would often grumble, “Let the devil play a piece like this.”
Transcendental Études, S.139 No. 12 “Snowstorm”Franz Liszt
Transcendental Études, S.139, composed by Franz Liszt—the piano magician whose works demand exceptional virtuosity.
Among them, the piece regarded as the pinnacle of difficulty is No.
12, “Chasse-neige” (Snowstorm).
The quietly falling snow gradually gains force, erupting into a blinding blizzard! The lightning-fast repeated notes, executed with transcendental technique, evoke the unpredictable ferocity of nature.
Starting with “Chasse-neige,” Liszt’s études are all extraordinarily challenging works.
With more time spent at home during the winter, it might be a great opportunity to sit down and carefully practice them on the piano.
Mephisto Waltz No. 1, S.514 “Dance in the Village Inn”Franz Liszt
Beloved as a recital staple, this passionate waltz portrays the romance between a devilish fiddler and a beautiful dancer.
It is a work by Franz Liszt, a pianist emblematic of the 19th-century Romantic era.
Composed between 1856 and 1861, it musically depicts a sensual tale set in a village tavern.
From the opening’s stacked fifths ringing out to the romantic melodies woven into driving rhythms, it irresistibly captivates listeners.
The piece has been used in numerous films and TV dramas, where its dramatic musicality proves highly effective on screen.
It makes full use of pianistic virtuosity—an ideal choice if you want to dazzle the audience at your recital.
Kreisleriana, Op. 16 No. 7Robert Schumann
This piece is marked by its intensely passionate and dramatic expression.
Its rapid tempo combined with the key of C minor grips the listener from the start.
Though it lasts only about two minutes and thirty seconds, it distills Robert Schumann’s inner turmoil and passion.
The repeated arpeggios with fierce accents heighten the tension, and the contrast with the fugal middle section is striking.
Composed in 1838, it dates from a period when Schumann was suffering under opposition to his marriage to Clara Wieck.
It fully showcases the Romantic era’s hallmark richness of emotional expression, and it is a work that tests both pianistic technique and interpretive depth.
A masterpiece recommended for anyone seeking the profound emotional impact of classical music.
Transcendental Étude No. 5 “Will-o’-the-Wisp”Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt’s works are highly regarded as masterpieces that combine transcendental virtuosity with poetic expression.
This piece symbolizes a fantastical image of flickering, bluish-white lights floating in the night.
Rapid chromatic figures flow continuously, and the shimmering sound evokes the ghostly motion of “will-o’-the-wisps.” While centered in B-flat major, occasional dissonant sonorities and irregular rhythms create a mysterious atmosphere.
Completed in 1851, the piece made a significant contribution to the development of piano music.
It is recommended for those interested in classical music and for pianists seeking a technical challenge.
12 Etudes in All Minor Keys, Op. 39: No. 3 “Diabolical Scherzo”Charles Valentin Alkan
Charles-Valentin Alkan, a composer emblematic of French Romanticism.
Among his works, one piece particularly renowned for its difficulty is the Étude No.
3 “Scherzo diabolico” from the Twelve Études in All the Minor Keys, Op.
39.
Half-step relationships derived from the Neapolitan sixth appear throughout the piece, and in places the performer is required to execute rapid arpeggios, demanding a very high level of technical proficiency.
It is, quite literally, diabolically difficult.
Be sure to check it out.