[Choral Piece] Difficult but cool! A work that overwhelms its listeners

You may have found your way here because you’re looking for a free-choice piece to sing at a choir competition or because you want to improve your choral technique! In this article, I’ll be introducing choral pieces that are quite challenging to sing.

Fast tempos, sudden tempo changes, wide melodic leaps, and complex staggered entries between parts—these pieces have it all.

If you can make it through the works listed here, you’ll surely feel a great sense of accomplishment.

Be sure to read to the end!

Playlist

[Choral Piece] Difficult but cool! A work that overwhelms its listeners
	Title	Playlist	Review
1	Time to Depart ~Asian Dream Song~sakushi: dorian suke kawa / sakkyoku: hisaishi jō		Choral pieces composed by Joe Hisaishi, on the more difficult side
2	Wild horseSakushi: Nakamura Chieko / Sakkyoku: Iwakawa Saburou		Choral piece with a difficult piano accompaniment
3	human beingSakushi: Kataoka Akira / Sakkyoku: Suzuki Norio		A difficult piece characterized by irregular tempo
4	The prince does not returnSakushi: Miyoshi Tatsuji / Sakkyoku: Miyoshi Akira		Introducing the challenging male chorus piece “Ōson Fukikaeri (Ōson Fuki)”
5	Ballad of the MonstersSakushi: Okada Fumiko / Sakkyoku: Tokaiji Osamu		The Ballad of the Kaiju is a dazzling choral piece with difficult accompaniment.
6	Song of Distant DaysSakushi: Iwasawa Chihaya / Sakkyoku: Hashimoto Shōji		“Song of Distant Days” is a popular work that uses the Canon progression.
7	O King of Fire, in your country…Sakushi: Shinkawa Kazue / Sakkyoku: Suzuki Teruaki		A difficult piece by Teruaki Suzuki, with an extremely high level of chordal difficulty
8	In springsakushi: tanikawa shuntarō / sakkyoku: kinoshita makiko		A masterpiece with tricky timing in spring
9	The Named LeafSakushi: Shinkawa Kazue / Sakkyoku: Iinuma Nobuyoshi		Introduction to complex, challenging mixed-chorus works
10	Believesakushi:tanikawa shuntarō/sakkyoku:matsushita kō		A choral song for junior high school students that depicts the importance of believing
11	To the futureSakushi: Tanikawa Shuntarō / Sakushi: Nobunaga Takatoshi		A choral piece where poetry and melody merge, depicting the flow of life and hope.
12	To You — A Message for Your DepartureSakushi Sakkyoku: Tsutsui Masako		A choral song of messages for graduates
13	running riverSakushi: Kanazawa Chieko, Sakkyoku: Kurosawa Yoshinori		The highly challenging choral piece “Wings of Water,” commissioned by Ogaki Minami Junior High School
14	A girl searching for flowersSakushi: Tsurumi Masao, Sakkyoku: Ogikubo Kazuaki		A choral piece expressing the tragedy of war
15	I can hear (it)Sakushi: Iwama Yoshiki / Sakkyoku: Niimi Tokuhide		A moving choral piece that depicts the feelings of young people
16	rainbowLyrics and composition: Naotaro Moriyama・Kai Okachimachi / Arrangement: Taketomi Nobunaga		A moving choral piece with a rainbow theme
17	Pegasus Galloping Through the SkySakushi: Tate Hōrai, Sakkyoku: Kurosawa Yoshinori		Yoshinori Kurosawa’s choral piece “The Sky-Galloping Pegasus”
18	A Billion Light-Years of SolitudeKinoshita Makiko		Makiko Kinoshita’s choral piece that sings of the loneliness of the universe and of humans
19	river mouthSakushi: Maruyama Yutaka / Sakkyoku: Dan Ikuma		A graduation song that parallels the flow of a river with students' growth
20	Song of First Intentsakushi: Kijima Hajime, sakkyoku: Nobunaga Taketomi		Hajime Kijima’s poetry collection “Song of Beginnings” is captivating.
21	MoldauSakushi: Iwakawa Saburō / Sakkyoku: Bedřich Smetana		Turning Smetana's symphonic poems into Japanese choral works
22	Friend ~Time of Departure~Sakushi sakkyoku: Kitagawa Yujin / Henkyoku: Aizawa Naoto		Yuzu's Tomo is a song suited for choral performance.
23	Cherry blossom seasonLyrics: ATSUSHI / Composition: ATSUSHI, Tatsurou Mashiko / Arrangement: Masanori Katou		ATSUSHI's 'Sakura no Kisetsu' is a masterpiece of choral music.
24	Hear My Prayer, O LordLyricist: H. Paaselu / S. Sandström		Introduction and characteristics of Purcell’s choral works
25	with yousmilesakushi: mizumoto makoto emi / sakkyoku: mizumoto makoto		Music introduction for the choir club.
26	Resonating LivesSakushi: Nishibe Toshihiko / Sakkyoku: Mizuki Kaoru		Resonating Lives is a high-difficulty choral piece
27	refrainsakushi: Kaku Wakako / sakkyoku: Nobunaga Taketomi		A children's chorus piece depicting adolescents
28	Time Travelersakushi: Fukada Junko, sakkyoku: Hashimoto Shōji		A mixed chorus piece with drastic key changes; pay attention to intonation.
29	HikariSakushi: Seto Saori / Sakkyoku: Matsushita Kou		A composition that expresses the creation of light through poetry and melody
30	If I put it into wordsGosuperāzu		A bright song by The Gospellers. Requires advanced expressive ability.
31	Peace on EarthSakushi: Tsurumi Masao / Sakkyoku: Ogikubo Kazuaki		A grand choral piece imbued with a wish for peace
32	proofflumpool		Parting and Courage of Two People Heading Toward Their Dreams
33	BeginningSakushi: Kudō Naoko / Sakkyoku: Kinoshita Makiko		A musical depiction that feels the breath of the Earth
34	Song of Fresh Green LeavesSakushi: Komori Kōko / Sakkyoku: Kumagai Ken’ichi		How to sing the challenging choral piece “Aoba no Uta”
35	ChessboardFujiwara Satoshi		Music that portrays life choices and diversity
36	See?Sakushi: Itou Keiji/Sakki: Matsushita Kou		A heartwarming choral song supporting disaster-affected areas
37	determinationSakushi: Kataoka Akira / Sakkyoku: Suzuki Norio		A choral piece of messages to the future by Ryotaro Shiba
38	A Song on the LipsLyrics: C. Flying Dutchman / Music and Composition: Nobunaga Takafumi		A timeless masterpiece whose melody resonates with the heart, full of hope
39	Blue EagleSakushi: Sarashina Genzo, Sakkyoku: Hasebe Masatoshi		The Blue Eagle is a complex choral piece—its meaning depends on the interpretation.
40	Once moreSakushi: Hoshino Tomihiro, Sakkyoku: Chihara Hideki		A Complex Choral Piece Leading to Tomorrow
41	One Morningsakushi:kataoka akira/sakkyoku:hirayoshi kishū		A classic masterpiece among required pieces for school music competitions
42	I will protect you.Sakushi: Giniro Natsuo, Sakkyoku: Ueda Masaki		The set piece for the high school music competition, “I Will Protect You.”
43	MugiyaIwakawa Saburō		Choral Adaptation of the Toyama Folk Song Mugiya and the Difficulty of Its Expression
44	My Milestonesakushi: Kataoka Kihei, sakkyoku: Yoshiki Shuu		Challenging choral pieces, richly expressive across diverse ensembles
45	GiftShiho Ochi · Koichi Tsutaya		An anthem of self-affirmation that supports the anxieties of adolescence
46	summerSakushi: Torigata Tomomi, Sakkyoku: Matsushita Kou		An intense and beautiful choral piece depicting war
47	Youth RhapsodySakushi: Itsuki Hiroyuki, Sakkyoku: Nobunaga Takato		Seishunfu is a highly difficult mixed chorus piece
48	I can hear silence.Matsumoto Nozomi		Nozomi Matsumoto’s soul-stirring choral pieces, moving music
49	premonitionSakushi: Kataoka Akira, Sakkyoku: Okuma Takako		A hopeful song modeled after an agronomist who plants trees to combat desertification
50	Himeyuri no Tō (Himeyuri Monument)Sakushi: Yamamoto Kazuo, Sakkyoku: Iwakawa Saburou		The Himeyuri Tower, depicting the tragedy of the Battle of Okinawa
51	blizzardSakushi: Ozaki Saeko, Sakkyoku: Sato Makoto		The profound allure of the anime song “Fubuki”
52	44 crimson sparrowsyakushi: Hani Kyōko, kyoku: Kinoshita Makiko		Introduction to Makiko Kinoshita’s challenging choral works
53	ChessboardOfisharu Higedan Dism		Official HIGE DANDism song expressing the feelings of seeking one’s path in life
54	What I dreamed ofSakushi: Tachihara Michizō / Sakkyoku: Kinoshita Makiko		A gentle melody paints the happiness of everyday life.
55	Mysteries of the Seasakushi: Kawasaki Hiroshi / sakkyoku: Hirayoshi Takushu		A grand choral piece depicting the mysteries of the sea