Liszt: 12 Transcendental Études Ranked by Difficulty

[@umamiklavier]

Great video! I would love to see the ranking of Rachmaninoff’s Etude Tableaux next time:)

[@4thlord51]

A solid Liszt.

[@chutdigadut]

This is a very accurate ranking in my opinion. I couldn't agree more! I appreciate that you really went into detail on the challenges of each etude. It really helped sharpen my perspectives of these masterpieces. Thank you!

[@pavlenikacevic4976]

Here's what I found the most difficult about Feux Follets: Bar 18 (and similar): pianissimo Bar 30: not easy to be precise with the left hand jumps Bar 53: left hand runs with the octaves throughout Bar 60-61: right and left hand are difficult to coordinate for some reason Bar 69: good luck coordinating the hands Bar 84-85: probably the most difficult section of the piece; awkward leaps and hand crossings followed by the left hand jumps from before Bar 116: notes added to the right hand run (and same with the left hand in 120) Bar 128: very tough unless you are technically proficient But the most difficult thing about the piece is that even the parts I haven't listed are rather tricky, with difficulty to coordinate the hands being apparent throughout. It's one awkward section after another, so it gets quite physically and mentally exhausting

[@pipluppenguin9051]

Im fine with the left hand jumps somehow Expected it to be much worse Arguably the beginning double notes are the hardest part

[@hardiksharma825]

another great video, thanks a lot :)

[@ulysse__]

Awesome video! I’d worked on the first three with my teacher a few years back, kind of got cut short when I saw the look of n°4 haha

[@SergeMarinkovic]

Thank you all appreciate deeply your experienced analysis.

[@FranciescoGallo]

Wow great work! For me the no.1 Is the easiest

[@FelipeCostaPiano]

I was about to do a comment in the Chopin etude ranking asking you to do the same for Liszt's Transcendental Etudes! Perfect timing! Thank you very much :) Would you mind talking a bit more about the Ricordanza etude? I was seriously considering giving it a try later this year. I am currently learning Liszt's 104 Sonnet.

[@StevenPJames-fl1un]

I just played Sonnet 104 and Ricordanza. I think they are fairly similar in challenge, though Ricordanza requires longer phrases and 'patience' in performance in order to make the cadenzas beautiful, while maintaining the overall line.

[@FelipeCostaPiano]

@@StevenPJames-fl1un thanks for your input! I am sure Ricordanza is much more difficult than the Sonnet. But I guess that for someone that can play the sonnet well the etude would be doable.

[@BBB-hi4hc]

And I’m happen to be listening to Liszt Sonetto 104 while I seeing this comment.

[@cziffrathegreat666]

About cziffra's interpretation of no.5 I totally agree

[@kumariambulugala9318]

Pianotech support Very good work by you.

[@D.Oktipu]

For the algorithm and GOOD VIDEO

[@henryhorst9858]

Rach etudes difficulty? Would love it!

[@evanding4732]

I would personally put no 10 wayyy higher and 11 way lower but other than that great list!

[@kumariambulugala9318]

Wow that's awesome of you. I like your ranking.

[@preblalar8798]

This is topic is of course of a subjective nature, but generally this listing seems reasonable. I do have a couple of thoughts though. 1. No. 1 being the easiest, and not a technical challenge. This is of course not very controvertial, as most pianists would say so, but how many have you heard playing the long climb to the top presto energico as indicated? Since no. 1 is a prelude kind of, a mere introduction to the main etudes, most pianists don't pay it much attention, and I think I have heard maybe 2 recordings where the build up is truly convincing as a presto energico passage building up to the intense chord progression, or maybe should I say succession? This passage along with the double notes in Feux Follets, the left hand in the E major part of Chasse Neige and the climb on the first page of no.2 is the passages I have worked the most on over the years. 2. No. 2 being less of a musical/interpretational challenge. I think that this etude is one of the pieces that can quickly become a mush of sound and a spectacle without purpose. It requires careful concideration in the way it is interpreted and performed, since it does not get as much for free as lets say no. 9 or no. 10. As far the technicalities go I think it is one of the easier ones, except certain passages like bar 12-13 and its repetition. But everyone is different. And the octaves arent really that fast as in 4, 6, 7, 10, and the chordal tremolos in 12. Out of curiousity, have you played them all btw? I see you have some pretty challenging concertos in your repertoire so I don't doubt your ability to do so. =)

[@fryderyckchopin484]

Hey dear, I have a question for you. I am finally going with my first teacher and I have been playing for like 2 years, I am practisint now aquarium by Saint Saens and I'm reading Rhapsody in blue for fun. What advice would you give me for my first class? Should I prepare something, questions/pieces...is there anything I should take into account. The only thing I want is she to help me with technique before anything, I study a lot and I try to make it efficient but I think I need help with many things, I think I'll be a good student but I'm not sure of how to go on my first day. Thank you dear

[@zegerb]

Thanks for the great video! I'm wondering how they compare to the Chopin Etudes in difficulty. Would it be possible to classify them in the same categories as you did with Chopin's etudes? I.E Elite, demanding, etc?

[@lucid_2701]

Hey I have a question for you unrelated to the video, but I'm gonna audition for a conservatory to study classical piano in 2/3 years (I'm 18 now, hope I won't be too old by then lol). I was wondering if you could take a look at my repertoire: op. 33 no. 2 by Rachmaninoff, and maybe op. 10 no. 4 by Chopin, or a Cramer-Bulow etude, Beethoven Tempest sonata, a romantic piece which is probably gonna be one of Schubert's op 90. or Brahms op. 117/118, maybe a Chopin ballade if I can get it to performance level and will be confident enough to play it, and either Ravel's Jeux d'eau or Debussy's cathedrale engloutie. I sadly can't afford to get lessons so I have to learn it all on my own. I do have a music teacher at school that helps me a lot and says that if I work hard it should be doable (I have talent, apparently, and I had some free lessons a few months ago with a teacher that said that I'll be fine if I try to audition because she believes that they'll see my talent, but I have to work really hard to catch up with the technique because I haven't had piano lessons in over 8 years). Do you think my audition repertoire is good enough and do you think it's doable without a piano teacher?

[@romanieo]

Liked and Subscribed.

[@Sentinelenjoyer]

Please make a ranking like this one for Bach's music. I would love to hear your take. Maybe the goldberg variations ranked :)

[@kumariambulugala9318]

Can you please make a video about Schubert's piano sonatas ranked by difficulty.

[@dustovshio]

I would put the hunt above the mazeppa and snowstorm because it's presto and I'm not sure if I agree with you about the feux follet not being a speed test because it is allegretto because alegretto with 32nd notes is is theoretically faster than allegro with 16th notes isn't it?

[@TheOurple]

Could you rank the Hungarian rhapsodies?

[@crown_clash1626]

I mostly agree with ur opinions. However, u shouldn't consider feux follets the "hardest etude" ever written by liszt or all the other composers, becuz some pieces such as 1838 version of paganini etudes or the etudes by mereaux or alkan are a lot harder than feux follets.

[@PianoTechSupport]

I shouldn't say or have an opinion on which one I think is the hardest, but should instead listen to your subjective opinion on which one is the hardest? Do you see the problem here? 🤔😉