[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 (31–40)
Fantasy in C major, Op. 15, D 760 “Wanderer Fantasy”Franz Schubert
Franz Schubert’s Fantasy in C major, Op.
15, D.
760, is an advanced piano work in four movements.
There’s even an anecdote that Schubert himself couldn’t play it well and said, “Let the devil play a piece like this.” The left-hand arpeggios in the fourth movement, in particular, are a torment for performers.
But beyond virtuosity, the piece demands profound musicality.
Seamlessly blending Schubert’s passion and craft, it’s perfect for anyone who wants to experience the essence of piano performance.
There is also an arrangement by Franz Liszt, so comparing versions is highly recommended.
Spanish Rhapsody, Op. 254Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt, the great composer known for writing devilishly difficult pieces.
Many people are familiar with his high-difficulty works such as La Campanella and Mazeppa.
Among Liszt’s works, however, there is a lesser-known piece of extreme difficulty: the Rhapsodie espagnole.
It not only demands rapid fingerwork and great stamina, but also features fierce leaps throughout every section.
And because it must be performed with lightness at the same time, it can be considered one of the most challenging pieces even among Liszt’s compositions.
Etude Op. 25 No. 6Frederic Chopin
Frédéric Chopin, the great French composer who created numerous beautiful masterpieces.
He is also known as a composer of many highly demanding works, and among them, the Etude Op.
25 No.
6 ranks among the most difficult.
The main challenges of this piece are undoubtedly the right hand trills in thirds and the chromatic scales in thirds.
Thirds are already difficult as they are, but in this piece you must also play a dramatic melody with the left hand.
Although the difficulty level is considerable, practicing it is recommended, as it strengthens finger independence—a fundamental technique essential for playing any piece.
Concerto for piano soloCharles Valentin Alkan
Charles-Valentin Alkan, a composer who epitomizes French Romantic music.
His Concerto for Solo Piano is one of his most representative works.
In Japan, it is sometimes translated as “Concerto for Piano Solo.” The foremost challenge of this piece is, above all, endurance.
The first movement alone spans 72 pages and lasts as long as 29 minutes, making it extremely demanding on the performer’s stamina.
It’s a piece so exhausting that even listeners may feel fatigued, but it’s certainly well worth hearing at least once.
12 Etudes in All Minor Keys, Op. 39: No. 3 “Diabolical Scherzo”Charles Valentin Alkan
Charles-Valentin Alkan, a composer who epitomizes French Romanticism.
Among his works, one of the most notoriously difficult pieces is Études in All the Minor Keys, Op.
39, No.
3 “Scherzo diabolico.” Semitonal relationships derived from the Neapolitan sixth appear throughout the piece, and in places it demands rapid arpeggios, requiring a very high level of technical skill.
It truly merits the description “diabolically difficult.” Be sure to check it out.
Gaspard de la nuit, No. 3: ScarboMaurice Ravel
The masterpiece Gaspard de la nuit by the great French composer Maurice Ravel is an exquisitely beautiful work based on three poems.
I believe its difficulty lies above all in expression.
Of course, it is also technically demanding; in particular, the third piece, Scarbo, requires a level of virtuosity that Ravel himself said surpassed Balakirev’s Islamey.
But beyond that, simply playing the notes does not make it true music—you must perform it with a firm understanding of the work’s deeper intent.
It is therefore a piece of exceptionally high difficulty if you aim to sustain a high level of expressiveness while playing.
It also readily reflects the individual characteristics of each performer, so I encourage you to compare multiple interpretations.
Etude Op.10-2 in A minorFrederic 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.
Toccata in C major, Op. 7Robert Schumann
A piano piece by Robert Schumann, a composer who epitomizes the German Romantic movement of the 19th century.
Completed in 1830 and revised in 1833, this work is regarded as “one of the most difficult pieces ever written.” It brims with virtuosic elements—alternating chords, rapid single-note octaves, advanced chromaticism and syncopation.
Its fingerwork-rich construction demands precise touch and swift hand crossings.
Because it calls for a tone that is both lucid and powerful, it poses a kind of challenge even for renowned pianists.
Aiming as it does for brilliant outward effect, a performance that captivates the audience can bring an immense sense of accomplishment.
Advanced pianists seeking to push their technique—by all means, give it a try!
Piano Sonata No. 5Alexander Scriabin
Alexander Scriabin, the great Russian composer who had a profound impact on modern music.
He had large hands, and the touch of his left hand was praised as the “Cossack of the left hand.” In composition as well, he leveraged his high-level performance technique and physical advantages to create works of extreme difficulty.
Among them, his Piano Sonata No.
5 boasts overwhelming difficulty.
With irregular rhythms and leaps in the first theme that are extraordinarily ferocious, it is a work intended for only the most advanced performers.
Piano Sonata No. 29 in B-flat major, Op. 106 “Hammerklavier”Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven, a master who shines brilliantly in the history of music.
Among the masterpieces he composed while losing his hearing, the “Hammerklavier” is hailed as the Everest of piano sonatas for its grandeur and technical difficulty.
From the powerful opening of the first movement, through the grief-laden third, to the fourth movement capped by a complex fugue, it is a work that truly reaches the summit of musical achievement.
It demands not only formidable technique but also profound emotional expression, making it an ultimate challenge for pianists.
Its monumental scale and innovative musical language leave listeners in awe.