[Ultra-Advanced] Even challenging for advanced players! A curated selection of highly difficult piano pieces
The piano is an instrument that allows a single performer to play an enormous number of notes while skillfully using delicate motor skills in the fingertips and arms, interpreting the composer’s intent along with the notated instructions, and expressing the pianist’s own sensibilities.
There are many pieces that call for beautiful, nuanced expression, as well as passionate works where the keys are struck almost like a percussion instrument.
This time, we’ve selected and will introduce pieces from among the vast piano repertoire that are said to be difficult even for advanced players and professionals.
We’ve picked everything from famous works generally regarded as challenging to lesser-known pieces that may not dazzle in performance but are extraordinarily difficult.
Be sure to check them out!
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[Ultra-Advanced] Even challenging for advanced players! A curated selection of highly difficult piano pieces (1–10)
Chromatic Grand GallopFranz Liszt
Liszt’s masterpiece “Grand Galop Chromatique.” Along with “Mazeppa” and “Feux follets” from the Transcendental Études, it is renowned as one of Liszt’s most difficult works.
The trickiest passages are undoubtedly the rapid figures that use the 4th and 5th fingers.
On top of an awkward layout that makes your fingers feel like they’re about to cramp, it bombards you with wide leaps and octaves.
It’s a piece that even capable advanced players find hard to execute accurately.
Compared to other Liszt works, its performative impact is somewhat lower, and from an artistic standpoint it can receive modest evaluations; still, for those who love the sound of augmented triads and whole-tone scales, it’s a piece that will hit the spot.
Piano Sonata No. 17 “Tempest,” Third Movement, Op. 31 No. 2Ludwig van Beethoven
Strictly speaking, it’s the third movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No.
17 in D minor, Op.
31 No.
2, “The Tempest.” All the sonatas in this class are very demanding, and the opening unfolds with a succession of beautiful phrases reminiscent of Beethoven’s own “Für Elise.” It gradually develops into impassioned, variegated passages, building a powerful melody.
While a seasoned pianist may make it look easy, the relentless flow of sixteenth notes, the need to maintain a steady tempo, and the seamless connection of arpeggios between the right and left hands all require careful attention; otherwise, the performance can quickly lose the piece’s appeal.
Around the time this work was composed, Beethoven was tormented by hearing loss and wrote his testament.
The persistence of a single motif throughout the entire piece is very characteristic of Beethoven.
Aesop’s Feast, Opus 39-12Charles Valentin Alkan
Composed of a theme and 25 variations, this monumental set of variations is a mysterious work that feels as if various animals are speaking through the instruments.
Premiered in 1857, it can be called the ultimate expression that elevated the piano to the pinnacle of art.
It challenges every possibility the piano offers—repeated octaves, rapid scales, and complex rhythms.
Its allure lies in the rich musical world woven by the 25 variations, ranging from humorous expressions to majestic tones.
A celebrated piece often featured in piano competitions, it is recommended both for dedicated pianists seeking to refine their technique and for music lovers who wish to delve into the depths of Romantic music.
[Ultra-Advanced] Even challenging for advanced players! A curated selection of highly difficult piano pieces (11–20)
Polonaise No. 3 in A major, Op. 40 No. 1 “Heroic”Frederic Chopin
When it comes to the polonaises of Frédéric Chopin, the poet of the piano, the first that comes to mind is this Heroic Polonaise.
After a long introduction, the piece unfolds in grand, glittering anticipation, as if announcing the arrival of a hero—a work that even those who don’t usually listen to classical music have likely heard at least once.
As you can tell, its performance demands advanced technique and expressive power, truly befitting a hero.
Among Chopin’s works it is particularly famous, but it is also known for its high level of difficulty.
Many pianists take on the challenge, yet sustaining an orchestral level of impact on a single piano throughout is no easy feat.
The more famous the melody, the more conspicuous any mistake becomes.
It’s a piece you want to carry off stylishly all the way to the end.
Island of JoyClaude Debussy
“L’Isle joyeuse,” a piano piece emblematic of the French Impressionist composer Claude Debussy, is a dazzling and fantastical work marked by its brilliant trills and ornamental figures.
Its performance not only demands high technical proficiency, but also tests the performer’s sensual and emotional expressiveness, making it one of the most challenging of difficult pieces.
Although the opening may appear to be a beautiful, straightforward piano piece at first glance, the writing grows increasingly virtuosic as it progresses.
Moreover, as an Impressionist work, it requires playing each note with a landscape-like image rather than merely striking them strongly; instead of a realistic approach, the aim is to evoke nuances as if something is falling within a dream—always dreamlike.
Achieving this is difficult, and it is a masterpiece by Debussy that truly probes the pianist’s sensitivity.
8 Concert Etudes, Op. 40 No. 1: PreludeNikolay Kapustin
A masterpiece that pushes the fusion of jazz and classical music to the limit.
From an opening as dazzling as the Rio Carnival, the piano surges ahead with ferocious momentum.
Elegant classical technique and the vitality of jazz are beautifully balanced, offering a groundbreaking expressiveness that feels as if two musical worlds are unfolding simultaneously from a single piano.
Composed in 1984, it continues to challenge world-class pianists such as Marc-André Hamelin.
While it employs transcendental virtuosity, it never loses its musicality, making it highly recommended for ambitious performers seeking to explore the piano’s possibilities.
It’s also a must-hear for inquisitive listeners eager to pioneer new frontiers in classical and jazz.
Transcendental Études, S.139 No. 5 “Feux follets” (Will-o’-the-Wisps)Franz Liszt
The piece Onibal, known worldwide as an overwhelmingly difficult piano work.
Composed by the great Franz Liszt, it’s a devilish composition.
Its difficulty lies above all in the sheer density of notes.
It features a great deal of rapid passages and extreme leaps across the keyboard, making it unplayable for anyone but advanced pianists.
It’s a work that demands fundamentals like technique and stamina rather than expressive nuance.
If you want to test the limits of your technique, give it a try!