Top 10 Hardest Debussy Pieces for Piano

Debussy was a master of effect. From his ballets down to his solo works, Debussy did what he could to bring out as many colors and sounds as he could possibly produce. And yet, despite the sometimes bewildering nature of his auralistic innovations, his piano music shows a deep sensibility that conveys his true understanding of the instrument. Debussy’s writing is often virtuosic yet pianistic, much like Liszt-but unlike Liszt, Debussy seldom if ever sought to write difficulty for difficulty’s sake, or even virtuoso writing for the sake of showing off. In terms of pianistic effect, Debussy extended what Liszt had already built while simultaneously backing away from the more extreme aspects of Liszt’s music. This makes Debussy a surprisingly accessible composer for the piano; of course providing that one can already play at an advanced level.
Debussy’s chief technical tools all stem from Liszt-arpeggios, tremolos, double notes, alternating hands, and chromaticism. Friendlier for the hands is the distinct lack of extended octave passages. The techniques that Debussy uses should come naturally and intuitively to a pianist with a strong understanding of the piano.
However, this does not mean that Debussy lacks unique difficulties of his own. Characteristic of Impressionism, Debussy’s works require an evocative yet sensual atmosphere; a single note out of place can easily destroy the ambience that the pianist has worked to create. Especially difficult are the quiet passages, where the action and sound of the piano can result in varying results. A subtle and consistent touch is required to bring out the more understated elements of what Debussy was trying to achieve. Consistency is key, as many of his works make use of repetition, whether it be rapid patterns, long stretches of alternating hands, or simply repeated notes.
And to master his music one must master the pedal. Too much pedal and the piece sounds soppy and wet; too little and you walk past the aural innovations of the music. The half pedal must be in the arsenal, as well as the soft pedal and the finger pedal.
Overall, there are composers which were far more unfriendly to pianists than Debussy. But because Debussy understood the piano so well, so too must a pianist have a complete understanding of the piano in order to play his music.
10. Pour le Piano (7)
0:00 (No.3 "Toccata") Noriko Ogawa
9. L'isle Joyeuse (7)
0:45 Maurizio Pollini
1:27 Nelson Goerner
8. Images, Book II (7)
2:10 (No.1 "Cloches à travers les feuilles") Claudio Arrau
3:02 (No.3 "Poissons d'or") Pascal Rogé
7. Images, Book I (7)
3:26 (1. "Reflets Dans L'eau") Sabine Weyer
4:00 (No.3 "Mouvement") Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
6. Preludes, Book I (7++)
4:37 (No.3 "Le vent dans la plaine") Dino Ciani
5:01 (No.5 "Les Collines D'Anacapri") Walter Gieseking
5:36 (No.7 "Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest") Zoltán Kocsis
5. Preludes, Book II (8
6:10 (No.11 "Les Tierces Alternées") Paavali Jumpannen
6:48 (No.12 "Feux d'artifice") Sviatoslav Richter
4. Khamma (8)
7:42 Michael Korstick
8:17 Martin Jones
3. Etudes, Book I (8+)
8:58 (No.2 "Pour les tierces") Jean-Efflam Bavouzet
9:59 (No.3 "Pour les quartes") Yvonne Loriod
10:19 (No.5 "Pour les octaves") Monique Haas
2. Jeux (8+)
10:53 Jeanne Golan
1. Etudes, Book II (8+)
11:45 (No.7 "Pour les degrés chromatiques") Walter Gieseking
12:19 (No.8 "Pour les agréments") François-Joel Thiollier
13:19 (No.11 "Pour les arpèges composés") Alexis Weissenberg
13:58 (No.12 "Pour les accords") Nelson Goerner
Honorable mentions: Fantaisie for piano and orchestra, Estampes, Tarentelle styrienne, Épigraphes antiques (solo piano version), Masques
/ calebhu

[@calebhu6383]

You already know what I'm gonna ask: What's your favorite piece by Debussy?

[@sunriseserpent8888]

Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

[@sebastianw.4351]

L'isle Joyeuse :)

[@lucachu7775]

I really like Reflections In The Water from the first Images Book. Honestly, It’s so calming to listen to, especially if done correctly. The harmonic dissonance provides an interesting tone to the piece but isn’t overwhelmingly dissonant.

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

A few preludes, etudes, images, cyrinx, jeux, Nuages, khamma, beau soir, les angelus and L'isle Joyeuse. From previous videos I've realized I spam a thousand pieces just to be specific, and also miss out on a lot of things knowingly or unknowingly, so I will just keep it consise this way now onwards lmao

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

And also fantasy for piano and orchestra and violin sonata (love them!)

[@mazeppa1231]

Debussy once said that his etudes were a warning to pianists not to take the profession unless they have remarkable hands. Just one listen to these etudes, and you can certainly see what Debussy meant.

[@christianvennemann9008]

When *L'isle joyeuse* is No. 9, you know the other works are insane lmao

[@GICM]

or (some of them at least) just longer i guess lol

[@Eristhenes]

Hehehe, so right.

[@geuros]

It's not that difficult honestly, it's just a wonderful rich and flashy piece

[@m.a.g.3920]

It's not that difficult?? Come on, for a self-taught pianist how long It could take? Months of hard work!!​@@geuros

[@sacrilegiousboi978]

@@geurostrue, but Les collines d’anacapri is definitely not harder than l’isle joyeuse

[@albertocabezas282]

Debussy's music is incredible. Beautifully played by all of those pianists. I'm amazed.

[@Dodecatone]

Debussy! The composer that got me into piano performance. Instantly approachable and harmonically fascinating at the same time. Would love to see you make a Ravel video. IMO Ravel perfected the impressionistic stylings set forth by Debussy. Edit: I've listened to a lot more music and music history since I made this comment; each composer has their own unique voice and (seeing as they were contemporaries) did so largely without major influence from one another. I do still think Ravel's music is perfect though.

[@neo-eclesiastul9386]

I don't think Ravel perfected what Debussy did, since they where approaching a different stylistic end. Debussy was more hermetic and symbolist than Ravel, and from 1911 onwards, Debussy refined his style beyond music.

[@franekciuk3694]

I think they arent as similar as they may seem

[@andrewfortmusic]

I don’t know that I’d agree with that last statement! I’m a huge “impressionist” nerd, and I know the big four of Impressionism (Debussy, Ravel, Koechlin, and Boulanger, and I’ll add Respighi as an honorable mention because he’s not French!) pretty well, and I’d say that Debussy perfected his own style pretty well (and I say that even though Ravel is my favorite, by far!). But if you’re talking about extending the style, Koechlin is the most likely candidate for that. All four have their own idioms, and it’s pretty easy to distinguish between them even if you haven’t heard the pieces before, but Koechlin seems to have most directly extended the impressionist techniques from Debussy. Ravel had a major obsession with utter perfection, being a collector of machines and a meticulous composer, and a love of the childlike and wondrous; and Boulanger had her lifelong illness, a devout Catholicism, and a lot of emotion to get out in her short life, so they are both just very different from Debussy in their goals. Koechlin, for all his excellent counterpoint, had a similar goal of expressing images, scenes with music, so they just seem to match up well. But Koechlin could never be accused of being a Debussy knock off-he applied Baroque techniques of counterpoint to the harmonic language of Impressionism and developed a style entirely his own, extending Debussy’s “principles” far beyond their limits. But to my ears, Koechlin and Debussy sound the most directly related of the group. Just an opinion… that I wrote two paragraphs on. Sorry 😅

[@neo-eclesiastul9386]

@@andrewfortmusic wow, that's really and interesting take, but don't forget about Florent Schmitt and Abel Decaux))

[@Dodecatone]

@@andrewfortmusic thank you for the two paragraphs! sounds like there's a lot more to these composers than first meets the eye. I think I'll do some more reading, this is fascinating.

[@cole3570]

It was said that Monet had the best eyes in art-that he captured the atmospheric tremblings of the moment. I think the same can be said about Debussy's ears.

[@jessicaeskebk5945]

Was very excited to see this. Also interesting that the number one spot wasn’t the fireworks prelude.

[@calebhu6383]

From personal experience, the fireworks prelude is hard, but very pianistic.

[@satosmi9408]

Fireworks is hard but the etudes are more challenging for hands

[@m.a.g.3920]

​@@calebhu6383what do you mean by "pianistic"? Suited for proper digitation so it's easy on the piano?

[@calebhu6383]

@@m.a.g.3920 Yup, fits the hands well

[@m.a.g.3920]

@@calebhu6383 maybe it's because I'm a self-taught pianist but honestly I'm trying to play L'Isle joyeuse and I would put It above 5😂😛😅

[@elb2883]

THE COLORS!!!

[@PianoSpeaks]

I'm excited to watch this!!

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

Definitely not a casual ranking if you ask me, I agree with this, 100%.

[@ryzikx]

what did you expect from caleb hu sensei

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

@@ryzikx his rankings are already beyond my expectations and he doesn't need to care about my expectations (because at least he does the rank-assignment job, which I'm not fit to do.)

[@izzyjamm4]

@@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji I think it’s a rhetorical question intended to praise Caleb :-)

[@jameswang606]

As always, great vid

[@igo.spekkyjarvonvreich]

4:20! Unexpected!

[@alvexok5523]

This music is so unique. It's so different sounded in the sense of the absence of melodic chords and structures and instead are very irregular sounds. These pieces in this video also remind me of alot of the notes and chords in Stravinsky The Firebird. And there's also a whole set of shorter similar sounding pieces called The Birds, that I remember, also all with those unique irregular chords

[@thibomeurkens2296]

Will you do one of these videos about Ravel? These videos are so much fun to watch and I often discover fun new pieces from them:) thank you

[@GICM]

all major composers, eventually

[@GICM]

6:48 the goat still somehow makes it

[@pearltheplug]

How glorious is Pour le Piano... damn.

[@Palermo.340]

Nice!

[@ryzikx]

very educational i am learning a lot keep up the good work 👍

[@vividma13]

oh my god, this is fantastic!

[@CH3CH2OCH2CH3net]

I always thought that L'isle Joyeuse was Debussy's most difficult piece for piano. "Pour les accords" is a BEAR to learn, but it's such fun to play once one has it down! When I went down to the Texas Gulf Coast to watch Hurricane Claudette come ashore as a borderline category 1/2 hurricane, one of the pieces I listened to was "Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest". It works. (The trick is to get close enough to experience the eye of the storm without being in an area subject to storm surge, and there are few trees or houses in that area so one can avoid debris damage.)

[@turtle945]

the intro is so fabulous 🤩🤩🤩

[@paul-emileadams4886]

Reverie is my favorite

[@jonquilbeats]

Great vid! Please do Prokofiev next 😃

[@looney1023]

Poissons d'Or is a nasty little piece of music! It has some fiendishly difficult tremolos, polyrhythms, and arpeggios, and it has a very unusual structure. It's so good

[@mtolympus-worstplayerever7924]

I think another honorable mention, if not on the list itself, is the Minuet from the Suite Bergamasque. It's deceptive... it doesn't sound like much just listening to it, but it's a finger twister that requires a lot of dexterity and finger independence. Very challenging to execute. That was much more of a struggle for me than L'isle joyeuse.

[@calebhu6383]

Yes, it's not easy.

[@zegaoyi]

just curious, when are you planning to upload the video of prokofiev's hardest works? also nice vid and captions lmao

[@drumclef3241]

I have learnt pour les tierces, octaves and the pour le piano suite this gave me a big confidence boost that I needed thank you bro :))

[@lylehopkins3958]

Images is my favorite.

[@justsomeguy7044]

I'm surprised you didn't take any excerpts from Mitsuko Uchida's recordings of the Debussy Etudes. It's an extraordinary recording.

[@GICM]

he just prefers other recordings i guess

[@yumeipeng25]

好好听！

[@Lawrence.Bennett]

Debussy's heart-beat is always the main rhythm.

[@lflagr]

Very interesting list Caleb! For me, it's most interesting that you included ballet transcriptions here...a surprisingly large amount of Debussy scholarship (not to mention Debussy piano recordings!) tend to ignore the ballet transcriptions--I'm assuming Debussy himself did the transcriptions? My only quibble with this list is that you have ranked some of the complete sets (Preludes, Images, Etudes) of pieces instead of individual pieces, which can be a bit misleading--for example, Preludes Book 1 is ranked 6th even though it does contain some pieces that are far easier than L'isle Joyeuse or any of the Images (in fact, some of Debussy's easiest piano pieces are in the Book 1). Overall a wonderful compilation! Thank you for another great video.

[@GICM]

yes, Debussy transcribed the Ballets himself. in fact, from what i've read and based on IMSLP Debussy never actually gotten to orchestrate Khamma-the piano solo version seems to be the only version that Debussy ever penned to completion. on the grouping of sets, i do somewhat agree that in can be a bit misleading in terms of difficulty (although im sure that most people will agree that L'isle Joyeuse is more difficult than say, Danseuses de Delphes). butttt at the same time you may have noticed that the focus of the video is, despite the title, to showcase great Debussy recordings (and occasionally lesser known works by the composer featured, like the aforementioned Debussy Ballet Transcriptions), and so by grouping the works where possible there's more opportunity to include more of said recordings and works!

[@calebhu6383]

Thanks for the comment. I would say that L'isle de Joyeuse is harder than most of the individual preludes, but because the preludes are often played together as books, they are harder to perform that way.

[@andrewfortmusic]

@@GICM Another “impressionist” composer named Charles Koechlin orchestrated Khamma if you’re interested in listening! It’s an absolutely fascinating study, and a lovely listen. I’d thought about orchestrating it myself until I heard Koechlin’s version!

[@SCRIABINIST]

I have a feeling Ravel will be next

[@GICM]

i have a feeling that Mozart will be next

[@GICM]

okay now that literally everyone is asking for Ravel there's no way he's not doing Ravel next

[@cilliandrohan]

*cough* Scarbo *cough*

[@collinm.4652]

U were right

[@GICM]

11:47 flight of the bumblebee references two videos in a row??? is this a sign owo

[@johntony427]

nice video!! do ravel next pleasee

[@GICM]

4:47 a reminder that just because its no. 7 doesn't mean that it won't torture you any less than the ones that come after it

[@satosmi9408]

Le vent dans la plaine is the most difficult piece from Preludes book 1 I think

[@GICM]

:O this is early on another level

[@jasonkim5503]

Khamma??? Never even heard OF such Debussy work!!!

[@calebhu6383]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khamma_(ballet)

[@kingyerghin7025]

Very interesting, always thought feux dartifice was his most difficult composition.

[@diffugerenives]

The etudes are definitely harder

[@fryderyckchopin484]

I seriously need a 10 easiest pieces version of this

[@pianoboss6000]

Haha me too

[@user-vp1fy8rq6s]

Try childrens corner, suite bergamasque, arabesques, reverie, preludes like la fille aux cheveux de lin, bruyeres, la cathedrale etc

[@fryderyckchopin484]

@@user-vp1fy8rq6s I mean I've already made those, even many other preludes, but I don't know how to continue hahaha

[@user-vp1fy8rq6s]

@@fryderyckchopin484 play all the preludes then start the etudes. I’d also recommend playing some Gabriel Dupont, Francesco Cilea, and ofc Ravel for other impressionist works. Dupont’s Les hueres dolentes sounds a lot like Debussy

[@fryderyckchopin484]

@@user-vp1fy8rq6s in fact I love Cilea, but I never find the scores for his music, but I'll take notes of that. Btw is impressive to me that the etudes are the next step after the preludes, some of them seem hard as hell

[@GICM]

really cool that we get a healthy mix of original works and transcriptions (of original works, i guess) in this one. not sure why you seperated the large works into their two books tho (the etudes perhaps especially, since i think in all the previous lists you only included the hardest ones)

[@calebhu6383]

Yeah idk tbh. Not consistent with it

[@GICM]

@@calebhu6383 lol content is still content nonetheless so cant complain

[@duqueadriano0081]

Do Godowsky and Medtner

[@Whaijorhujishkomunyk]

Indeed

[@bomsetrendis780]

Claire de lune ,prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune,Pelleas et melisandre

[@GICM]

1:55 and the trill brings to mind late scriabin

[@stravinskyfan]

No

[@GICM]

@@stravinskyfan yes

[@hungviet9422]

I know that people typically regard Pierre-Laurent Aimard as one of the greatest interpreters of Ligeti and Messiaen, but I find his recordings of the Debussy etudes and Images just as convincing, if not better than those in your videos. I´m curious as to what you think

[@calebhu6383]

I listened to Aimard's album while making this video, and some of them seemed a bit overly dry. But very good nonetheless.

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

Can you do Schmitt and Samazeuilh as well? Maybe just Samazeuilh as the hardest pieces from the œuvre if Schmitt (and Ravel, though I haven't mentioned previously) are predictable.

[@ilikeplayingffftonecluster851]

Yeah lol Ombres just blows everything else Schmitt wrote for piano out of the water, closely followed by Mirages or Crepuscules. Problem is there aren’t many recordings to choose from because Schmitt isn’t standard repertoire. I think the same goes for Kapustin although the latter is becoming significatnly more popular so maybe a video on him is possible. Haven’t heard of Samazzhuilh, any pieces in particular you recommend?

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

@@ilikeplayingffftonecluster851 basically anything that comes after you search 'Gustave Samazeuilh' on KZbin.

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

@@ilikeplayingffftonecluster851 That's absolutely true btw, a few pieces unfortunately overshadow everything else he wrote

[@rosiefay7283]

@@ilikeplayingffftonecluster851 P.R. would've helped you more if they'd had the common courtesy to spell the man's name correctly. It's Gustave Samazeuilh.

[@dawlims1334]

can you do ravel next?

[@GICM]

UPDATED LIST: 80. Chopin Étude Op. 25 No. 11 "Winter Wind" (7) 79. Debussy Pour Le Piano L. 95 (7) 78. Chopin Scherzo No. 4 Op. 54 (7) 77. Debussy L'isle Joyeuse L. 106 (7) 76. Debussy Images Book II L. 111 (7) 75. Debussy Images Book I L. 110 (7) 74. Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 23 Op. 57 "Appasionata" (7) 73. Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 31 Op. 110 (7) 72. Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 26 Op. 81a "Les Adieux" (7) 71. Chopin Étude Op. 25 No. 6 "Thirds" (7+) 70. Rachmaninoff Étude-Tableaux Op. 39 No. 6 "Little Red Riding Hood" (7+) 69. Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 Op. 73 "Emperor" (7+) 68. Chopin Ballade No. 2 Op. 38 (7+) 67. Chopin Polonaise-Fantaisie Op. 61 (7+) 66. Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 21 (7+) 65. Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 11 (7+) 64. Schumann Piano Concerto Op. 54 (7+) 63. Brahms Piano Sonata No. 2 Op. 2 (7+) 62. Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 30 Op. 109 (7+) 61. Brahms Variations on a theme of Schumann Op. 9 (7+) 60. Brahms Klavierstücke Op. 76 (7+) 59. Brahms 5 Studies Anh. 1: Study No. 1 on Chopin Op. 25 No. 2 "Bees" (7++) 58. Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 18 (7++) 57. Scriabin Fantaisie Op. 28 (7++) 56. Chopin Ballade No. 4 Op. 52 (7++) 55. Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Op. 43 (7++) 54. Scriabin Poeme Op. 72 "Vers La Flamme" (7++) 53. Chopin Piano Sonata No. 2 Op. 35 "Funeral March" (7++) 52. Debussy Preludes Book I L. 117 (7++) 51. Schumann Carnaval Op. 9 (7++) 50. Schumann Humoreske Op. 20 (7++) 49. Schumann Piano Sonata No. 1 Op. 11 (7++) 48. Schumann Piano Sonata No. 3 Op. 14 "Concerto Without Orchestra" (7++) 47. Brahms Piano Sonata No. 1 Op. 1 (7++) 46. Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 Op. 58 (7++) 45. Rachmaninoff Variations on a Theme of Corelli Op. 42 (8) 44. Debussy Preludes Book II L. 123 (8) 43. Chopin Piano Sonata No. 3 Op. 58 (8) 42. Scriabin Étude Op. 65 No. 1 "Ninths" (8) 41. Scriabin Piano Sonata No. 9 Op. 68 "Black Mass" (8)

[@GICM]

40. Scriabin Piano Concerto Op. 20 (8) 39. Scriabin Piano Sonata No. 10 Op. 70 (8) 38. Schumann Fantasie Op. 17 (8) 37. Schumann Symphonic Études Op. 13 (8) 36. Schumann Toccata Op. 7 (8) 35. Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 1 (8) 34. Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 4 Op. 40 (8) 33. Debussy Transcription (only original version) of Ballet "Khamma" L. 125 (8) 32. Beethoven Variations on a Theme of Diabelli Op. 120 (8) 31. Schumann Kreisleriana Op. 16 (8) 30. Schumann Davidsbündlertänze Op. 6 (8) 29. Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 15 (8) 28. Brahms Piano Sonata No. 3 Op. 5 (8) 27. Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 28 Op. 101 (8) 26. Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 32 Op. 111 (8) 25. Liszt Transcendental Étude S. 139 No. 5 "Feux Follets" (8+) 24. Debussy Etudes Book I L. 136 (8+) 23. Debussy Transcription of Ballet "Jeux" L. 126 (8+) 22. Debussy Etudes Book II L. 136 (8+) 21. Rachmaninoff Piano Sonata No. 1 Op. 28 (8+) 20. Rachmaninoff Variations on a Theme of Chopin Op. 22 (8+) 19. Scriabin Piano Sonata No. 6 Op. 62 (8+) 18. Scriabin Piano Sonata No. 7 Op. 64 "White Mass" (8+) 17. Brahms Variations on a Theme of Handel Op. 24 (8+) 16. Liszt Réminiscences de Don Juan S. 418 (8++) 15. Liszt Grande fantaisie de bravoure sur La clochette S. 420 (8++) 14. Liszt Réminiscences de Lucrezia Borgia S. 400 (8++) 13. Rachmaninoff Piano Sonata No. 2 Op. 36 1st (1913) version (8++) 12. Scriabin Piano Sonata No. 8 Op. 66 (8++) 11. Scriabin Piano Sonata No. 5 Op. 53 (8++) 10. Liszt Beethoven Symphony No. 7 (Op. 92) Transcription S. 464 (8++) 9. Liszt Étude d'exécution transcendante d'apres Paganini S. 140 No. 4b (8++) 8. Liszt Große Konzertfantasie über Spanische Weisen S. 253 (8++) 7. Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 Op. 30 (8++) 6. Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 83 (8++) 5. Brahms Variations on a Theme of Paganini Op. 35 (8++) 4. Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 29 Op. 106 "Hammerklavier" (8++) 3. Liszt Beethoven Symphony No. 3 "Eroica" (Op. 55) Transcription S. 464 (8++) 2. Liszt Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique (Op. 14) Transcription S. 470 (9) 1. Liszt Beethoven Symphony No. 9 (Op. 125) "Choral/Ode to Joy" Transcription S. 464 (9) (note for anyone curious: if you wanna know more about the rating system, Caleb has a pretty in depth explanation of it in his channel 'About' page)

[@calebhu6383]

@@GICM I'm considering moving Hammerklavier down to 8++

[@GICM]

@@calebhu6383 sounds reasonable

[@LM-oz2sc]

@@GICM I still think that Hammerklavier is easier than Rach Sonata No.2 in my opinion (without offence please), and I would rate Balakirev Islamey on top 25 tho (with 8+)

[@thibomeurkens2296]

5:37 ligeti etude 13?

[@qoldwar7691]

I would definitely say that images ii and lisle joyeuse are more challenging than images I both technically and musically. I might also put preludes I lower.

[@nathane7914]

Ravel next?

[@_rstcm]

3:45 u know its serious when the slurs overlap each other.........

[@nasirferguson4098]

Right I usually close the music at that point😂😂

[@GICM]

what do you think of doing premieres for future videos?

[@calebhu6383]

Idk, are they helpful

[@GICM]

@@calebhu6383 well it does make it so that you can't skip to the end of the video if anyone wants to see the no. 1, so helps with the suspense i guess, if you ever need it

[@calebhu6383]

@@GICM Hm I guess that's cool

[@GICM]

7:45 schumann moment

[@GICM]

technically 5:04 too

[@GICM]

no peaks yet for this either :/ (probably feux d'artifice for this one, especially when its Richter)

[@kurtkaufman]

I always found the etude in thirds to be stubbornly difficult, for my hands and coordination, anyway!

[@GICM]

all of the etudes are included here, even if the excerpts are not shown in the video (they are just samples)

[@jordangermanenriquez1243]

Ravel Pleaaaseeee♡

[@paggity977]

do ravel next?

[@GICM]

what do you make of Debussy playing Debussy?

[@calebhu6383]

Unfortunately the listenable ones are all piano rolls, I never use piano rolls

[@GICM]

@@calebhu6383 sadge

Éstas son verdaderas listas; no como las mías.

[@bozzigmupp510]

Wish you added the specific name of the piece in the book

[@calebhu6383]

I think they should be in the description

[@limmortale2001]

Babe wake up! Caleb Hu released the new top 10 hardest pieces!

[@LkFia_]

Why u havent graded the pieces this time in the description?

[@calebhu6383]

I have now

[@LkFia_]

@@calebhu6383 legend

[@GICM]

no new comments :c

[@willlaw8397]

4:20 why does this bit sound like a success song in a american high school film

[@GICM]

8:17 an unexpected appearance from the czerny maniac himself, of all people (btw no subtitles lol?). Korstick is also a pleasant surprise

[@calebhu6383]

yeah lol martin jones

[@calebhu6383]

Korstick and Jones are actually the two pianists who recorded every Debussy work, including the early works and transcriptions

[@GICM]

@@calebhu6383 hm yes, that is a bit unexpected, tho i think Bavouzet and Christopher Devine at least also recorded all the piano works?

[@GICM]

btw heads up for the description, its Sabine Weyer not Sabine Weaver lul

[@calebhu6383]

autocorrect lol

[@GICM]

@@calebhu6383 dw i just confused when i looked her up lmao btw whats with the extra timestamps at the bottom of the description

[@manzoh2248]

Personally i feel like l’isle joyeuse is much harder than images book 2 no 2, in fact I think all of images is easier except for mouvement maybe (at least from my experience)

[@calebhu6383]

The rating is for the entire set combined. L'isle Joyeuse is harder in terms of technique, but it would definitely be more of a challenge to learn the entire Images due to length and musical difficulty

[@manzoh2248]

@@calebhu6383 oh ok that makes sense, yeah then I guess the rating is pretty fair, though at this point I can play all of images more or less, while l’isle joyeuse is still quite a bit out of reach technique-wise (but it took me much less time to memorise l’isle joyeuse than images).

[@PilipiHoops]

A list of Debussy's hardest pieces is easier to make than a list of Debussy's easiest pieces

[@GICM]

how so?

[@calebhu6383]

Nah, most people have no idea what his hardest pieces are but plenty of people play his children's pieces

[@handledav]

r

[@jasminhacker7243]

I cannot even read it😅 so confusing 😳

[@emilianpopa1402]

The music sheet looks like a mess! 😂

[@GICM]

this is normal

[@alexyu8951]

hardest sorabji next pls? would be interesting to see

[@GICM]

would've been interesting if it isn't just gonna get instantly taken down

[@pulsar2049]

I could guess #10 is gonna be In the Hothouse, and #1 is going to be archmagicum.

[@collinm.4652]

Watch that get taken down in like 10 minutes lmao

[@user-fl1gt1cl4y]

Tier list mozart

[@ven__324]

what happened to your top 100 hardest piano works after 1920?

[@calebhu6383]

It got copyright struck

[@ilikeplayingffftonecluster851]

Look for the user GICM in this comments section, they have an unlisted version linked in their channel bio.

[@GICM]

here i am

[@izzyjamm4]

@@GICM lmaooo

[@collinm.4652]

@@GICM u almost have 1000 comments on this channel. Just 1 more

[@fruitsarescary4672]

🥺🥺 wheres clair de lune

[@GUILLOM]

What

[@ilikeplayingffftonecluster851]

@@GUILLOM where is arabesque 1

[@GUILLOM]

@@ilikeplayingffftonecluster851 Where is reverie

[@GICM]

wheres fur elise

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

But that's nowhere near the hardest of his pieces (or are you kidding me?)

[@Franz_Liszt_Korean]

Easy always

[@dvoid4968]

I’m sorry but Cloches a travers les feuilles is not that hard. Poissons d’or is though.

[@GICM]

yeah the video doesn't only show the most difficult pieces

[@BuddyDean]

I find "Jardins sous la pluie" more technically challenging than "Reflets dans l'eau".

[@alainspiteri502]

For me in first for me Debussy is no easy to understand , so Debussy wrote in french " dans mon Audience une Personne sur mille comprends ma musique " it's not words of me but words or Debussy .

[@GICM]

Debussy: chOPiN iS THE GrEAteSt oF tHem aLL, foR thROugH tHe PiANO aLOnE hE discOverEd evERYthiNG also Debussy: takes techniques from Liszt, probably took some of his inspiration from Liszt, even has a couple works pretty much quoting Liszt

[@nasirferguson4098]

He has many quoting Chopin and many Chopin techniques, he more falls under Chopin than Liszt if you wanna look at it

[@GICM]

@@nasirferguson4098 well have you looked into _Liszt's_ influence on Debussy? because even if it's less than Chopin's influence it certainly still substantial, and Chopin definitely can't be said to have "discovered everything" (just compare Liszt's Sposalizio from the 2nd year of Annees de Pelerinage and Debussy's 1st Arabesque)

[@nasirferguson4098]

@@GICM did I ever say that Liszt didn’t influence him? No I know he did. Those three are my top 3 favorite composers.

[@LeRainbow]

Difficulty and beauty do not correlate.

[@GICM]

no one ever said they do but just because its difficult doesn't mean its not beautiful

[@LeRainbow]

@@GICM“Idiots are amazed at the highest complexity and difficulty while genius marvels at simplicity“ - Terry Davis

[@GICM]

@@LeRainbow "geniuses" are overrated anyways

[@ilikeplayingffftonecluster851]

0:45 2:10 12:19

[@GICM]

@@ilikeplayingffftonecluster851 even the intro is wonderful

[@verymozart]

Except few pieces, I don't like Debussy, it's an example of quite difficulty without beauty

[@GICM]

"without beauty" seems like a very out-of-place criticism for Debussy, probably as much so as for Chopin

[@verymozart]

@@GICM this reply is criticism. I just expressed my feelings towards his overall composition. If I have to study hard to play a difficult composition I prefer to do that for something that for my perception is beautiful and I like it. I don't see how to express a personal feeling has to do with out of place criticism. It seems rather that you don't like that no everyone loves Debussy. For example Chopin too composed very difficult pieces, but many of them I love deeply

[@GICM]

@@verymozart i think you misunderstood my comment. there's nothing wrong with criticizing Debussy; i myself have some fair share of criticisms, but beauty of all things? it's probably one of the biggest reasons why he's so loved, it's the reason why pieces like Clair de Lune, Reflets dans L'eau, Reverie, La Mer, etc. etc. are so popular. if anything it would've made more sense if you just don't like it when he strays more into atonality, but generally i think it's safe to say that Debussy is very pretty.