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.
Playlist
| Difficult Piano Pieces | Even Pros Can't Play Them!? Classical Works Requiring Virtuosic Technique | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| show_chart | Title | Playlist | Review |
| 1 | Transcendental Études No. 4 “Mazeppa”Franz Liszt |  play_arrow | By creating numerous high-difficulty tracks, many perfo… |
| 2 | IslameyMily Balakirev |  play_arrow | It’s no exaggeration to say that it’s always mentioned as one of the most difficult piano pieces. |
| 3 | Etude ‘Railway’ Op.27bCharles Valentin Alkan |  | An étude by Alkan themed on railways, of high difficulty |
| 4 | Spanish Rhapsody, S.254Franz Liszt |  play_arrow | Fran..., who left behind numerous pieces that require virtuoso-level technique |
| 5 | Transcendental Étude No. 5 “Will-o’-the-Wisp”Franz Liszt |  play_arrow | The ultra-difficult set of 12 pieces crafted by Franz Liszt… |
| 6 | La CampanellaFranz Liszt |  play_arrow | Franz Li..., known as the magician of the piano |
| 7 | Gaspard de la nuit, No. 3: ScarboMaurice Ravel |  play_arrow | Ravel’s formidable piece Scarbo demands expressive power. |
| 8 | Goldberg Variations (Aria and 30 Variations), G major, BWV 988J.S.Bach |  play_arrow | A famous piece by Bach, notable for its difficult octaves |
| 9 | Chromatic Grand GallopFranz Liszt |  play_arrow | Composer Fran… has produced many challenging pieces. |
| 10 | Etude Collection for Piano, Volume 2, No. 13: “Devil’s Staircase”Ligeti György |  play_arrow | Ligeti’s experimental piano piece |
| 11 | 12 Etudes, Op. 10 No. 2Frederic Chopin |  play_arrow | Chopin’s études require finger flexibility. |
| 12 | 12 Etudes Op. 25-6Frederic Chopin |  play_arrow | Chopin’s difficult piece; the thirds (interval chords) are hard. |
| 13 | Toccata in C major, Op. 7Robert Schumann |  play_arrow | Performance Techniques for Schumann’s Fiendishly Difficult Toccata |
| 14 | Three Movements from PetrushkaIgor Stravinsky |  play_arrow | Focusing on primitivism, neoclassicism, and serialism... |
| 15 | Wanderer FantasyFranz Schubert |  play_arrow | Struggling to compose a difficult Schubert piece |
| 16 | Transcendental Études, S.139 No. 12 “Snowstorm”Franz Liszt |  play_arrow | Liszt’s high-difficulty piano piece “Snowstorm” |
| 17 | Mephisto Waltz No. 1, S.514 “Dance in the Village Inn”Franz Liszt |  play_arrow | Introduction to Liszt’s Passionate Waltz Pieces |
| 18 | Kreisleriana, Op. 16 No. 7Robert Schumann |  play_arrow | A passionate minor-key piece: Schumann’s anguish |
| 19 | Transcendental Étude No. 5 “Will-o’-the-Wisp”Franz Liszt |  play_arrow | Liszt's Feux follets, a masterpiece of transcendental technique and poetic expression |
| 20 | 12 Etudes in All Minor Keys, Op. 39: No. 3 “Diabolical Scherzo”Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | The leading Romantic composer representing France, Cha... |
| 21 | Scherzo Focoso, Op. 34Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | A magnificent piano piece where advanced technique and passion intertwine |
| 22 | “Grandes études de Paganini,” No. 6: “Theme and Variations”Franz Liszt |  play_arrow | A masterpiece of piano arrangement of a work by Paganini |
| 23 | Etude Collection (Studies) No. 4, Op. 10-4 in C-sharp minorFrederic Chopin |  play_arrow | Passionate music with advanced technique is captivating. |
| 24 | Picturesque Etudes “Tableaux,” Op. 39, No. 6: “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf”Sergei Rachmaninov |  play_arrow | Sergei, the great composer who represents Russia, ... |
| 25 | Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka, Op. 214Strauss=Cziffra |  play_arrow | Composed by Johann Strauss II in 1858... |
| 26 | The Rite of SpringIgor Stravinsky |  play_arrow | A musical revolutionary work by The Rite of Spring |
| 27 | 15 Virtuoso Études, Op. 72 No. 2Moritz Moszkowski |  play_arrow | A Romantic masterpiece, where virtuosity and expressiveness shine. |
| 28 | Saltarello in E minor, Op. 23Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | Inspired by traditional Italian dance forms… |
| 29 | Spanish Suite No. 1, Op. 47 ‘Asturias’Isaac Albéniz |  play_arrow | Captivating piano works of the Spanish Suite |
| 30 | “Arpeggio,” No. 4 from the Grandes études de PaganiniFranz Liszt |  play_arrow | Liszt, Grand Piano Variations on a Theme of Paganini |
| 31 | 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 |
| 32 | Concert Etude “Knight,” Op. 17Charles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | Alkan’s masterpiece piano piece |
| 33 | RailwayCharles Valentin Alkan |  play_arrow | A piano piece by Alkan depicting the railway |
| 34 | From Eight Concert Etudes: No. 8 “Finale”Nikolai Kapustin |  play_arrow | A Captivating Fusion of Jazz and Classical |
| 35 | 12 Transcendental Etudes, Op. 11 No. 10 “Lezginka”Sergey Lyapunov, |  play_arrow | Lyapunov: Caucasian Folk Dance |
| 36 | Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 2 No. 1, Fourth MovementLudwig van Beethoven |  play_arrow | A masterpiece renowned for its powerful and passionate performance |
| 37 | Eight Concert Etudes, Op. 40: No. 1 “Prelude”Nikolai Kapustin |  play_arrow | Kapustin’s jazz-classical fusion piece |
| 38 | Concert Etudes, 8 Pieces: No. 5 “Joke”Nikolai Kapustin |  play_arrow | A fusion piece of classical and jazz |