Top 10 Hardest Rachmaninov Pieces for Piano

[@calebhu6383]

What's your favorite piece by Rachmaninov?

[@thejokingwizard]

his sonata for cello and piano is underrated, I don't hear people talking about it a lot

[@vicentepulidodrevespiano2494]

I am not sure... maybe his Etude Op 39 N5 in E Flat Minor

[@theoboueid6450]

His sonata no.2

[@JohannesBruhms]

Variations on a theme of corelli Op.42, and Symphony no.3 Op.44

[@mischacarlberg6631]

Piano concerto no. 3. Another really cool and somewhat underrated piece is the second movement of his Fantaisie Tableaux for two pianos

[@GICM]

Rach 3: everyone says its hard and it ACTUALLY is hard

[@a.maxime]

confirming!

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

Indeed

[@chiragraju821]

True

[@onethegogd5783]

It's incredibly hard to get fully consistent, I can say

[@AnAppleSlice]

Interesting fact: Rachmaninoff's first piano concerto was composed in 1891 as a student work. He based it off of Grieg's piano concerto in A minor (an obvious giveaway is in the introduction). The version featured here is the 1917 revision: the version that is performed nowadays. If one compares both versions, they will find a significant difference in style. Nonetheless, the earlier version showed promise in young Rachmaninoff's abilities. Also, this video's thumbnail is an excerpt of the cadenza from the 1891 version.

[@GICM]

hm yes i wonder why he used the earlier version for the thumbnail also as he would happily point out to you the Grieg concerto was in turn inspired by the Schumann concerto

[@Lulu-jl5zd]

Fun fact the first person to play the concerto other than Rachmaninov suggested taking the slow movement at half speed and the composer changed the markings on the score because it was a really sweet idea!

[@adrianwright8685]

"based it on"

[@markus7894]

That's more the highlights of the best and most memorable musical moments of our favorite composer rather than it is the specially hard ones to play!

[@christianvennemann9008]

I'm so glad you included Rach 1 and the 1st Piano Sonata! Such criminally underrated gems.

[@randomcubing7106]

Exactly. I absolutely love rach 1. However Rach 3 still beats it tho

[@christianvennemann9008]

@@randomcubing7106 Oh, absolutely. Rach 3 is my favorite piano concerto

[@randomcubing7106]

@Henry-Bart This proves that Rachmaninoff's music is both musical and virtuosic. A true romantic music giant

[@classicalimperium]

Amazing music:kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3mto2BobN-Yl9k

[@christianvennemann9008]

@Henry-Bart Wow, didn't know that. Thank you, Captain Obvious.

[@OneSetPiano]

Rachmaninov clearly is one of my favorite composers and ever will be. His talent to write 2nd movements is sooo good. My biggest dream would be to perform all the concertos one day… Im currently working on the second at just 15 years

[@arpeggiomikey]

Wait -- did you mean to be able to play all his concerti one day, or IN one day? If you meant the latter, Yuja could probably give you some valuable pointers! Just bring a few changes of wardrobe with you....😁👍🎶🎹

[@prototropo]

I hope I can hear you perform!

[@turtle945]

happy birthday Rachiminoff!!!

[@GICM]

lol on april fools

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

Rachiminoff

[@GICM]

@@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji april fools gottem

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

@@GICM Rachiminoff

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

@@GICM Sergay

[@espresso9826]

Man, Kocsis' rendition of Rach's 2nd Sonata (1913) is just such a perfect recording. It's unmatched in my opinion. I can not listen to anyone else's recording except for Kocsis' lol. He also has an amazing recording of the Corelli Variations. RIP Kocsis. You will be missed.

[@syjnb7954]

same

[@perry1559]

Listen to John Ogden’s.

[@GICM]

@@perry1559 well i imagine people will take problem with the fact that he played the 1931 version

[@michieldpiano]

@Espresso 98 I am not a big fan of the second sonata but for me there is just one nec plus ultra: Joseph Villa. That is truly unmatched.

[@espresso9826]

​@@michieldpiano Just gave it a listen it is quite good. I prefer it to the Horowitz which I admittedly am not a fan. Still prefer Kocsis however as Joseph Villa's rendition is a bit to fast and harsh for me. I thank you for the recommendation though. It's quite unknown.

[@mangomerkel2005]

What I really like about the 24:20 part is the dark turn the Orchestra makes into a flat minor at 24:45. Love it, it gives me such special feelings!

[@alanstuckert4513]

Thank you so much for pulling this together, You have added a layer of appreciation for Rachmaninov that I didnt have before listen to this collection.

[@wooogie672]

the parts included from the 2nd piano concerto mov. I are just so absolutely amazing i love them

[@lukeehrkepiano5061]

Kocsis’s 2nd Sonata sounds so orchestral and full- at least in the excerpts here. I almost thought I could hear other instruments behind… thought my ears were tricking me. Very cool use of voicing and pedal.

[@GICM]

12:13 one of the few works ever dedicated to the great Nikolai Medtner (who was a close friend to Rach, and who he regarded as the greatest composer of their generation). Medtner in turn had dedicated equally great if not greater works to him, the 2nd piano concerto and the Night Wind sonata

[@yeetthebeet]

NIGHT WIND

[@GICM]

@@yeetthebeet NIGHT WIND INDEED

[@GICM]

@@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji comme le vent, as a certain smoothbrain troglodyte would have described it

[@calebhu6383]

Did not know that, great factoid

[@GICM]

@@classicalimperium can u not

[@michieldpiano]

I have played the 39/6 as entry exam conservatory when I was 18. I was not able to read the score so learned it by ear. Variations on theme of Chopin is incredibly difficult for me, both technically as for the interpretation. Thanks for the lovely Kapell and Janis recordings that I never heard before. My favorite piece of Rachmaninoff is Daisies.

[@LascoDePasco]

The first piece we usually call "Little red riding hood", but playing this correctly, is not like a fairy-tail:-). This is the story about little red riding hood and the wolf and surrounding of course described in music. Absolutely beautiful masterpiece composed by Sergey Vasiljevich. I love it.

[@chazinko]

Nice to be reminded of Abbey Simon's Rachmaninov's recordings and Weissenberg's recording of the first sonata is a personal favourite.

[@asdfg952816]

i always have the utmost respect for anyone with the balls to take the second cadenza in rach 2 third mvt at full tempo with no slowing down because its SO easy to screw up the last note and soil all your hard work

[@benharmonics]

Fantastic video! I can only dream of playing pieces like this. I appreciate that you included a recording by Kapell-a terrific but little-known pianist-but I can’t believe you didn’t include Volodos’s recording of the 3rd concerto. No one plays the third movement better than him. Quality content as always! 🎹🎹👍👍

[@straizys]

played 2nd rachmaninoff concerto and tiny bits of all the rest as well :) wonderful music! honestly this is the music I enjoyed the most in my life

[@barney6888]

You are 100% correct about Richter's 2nd being the standard by which all other recordings are judged. It is pure gold. It is the only 1 of 2 recordings where, at the end of the 2nd mvmt, the flutes and clarinets in triplets are balanced correctly. The other, of course, is vK and Weissenberg.

[@19thCenturyGuy]

What a way to come back

[@ChalumeauLOL]

Rachmaninoff was really crazy! 😅very entertaining and educational video! 😊

[@genesis4200]

variations on a theme of Chopin is so insanely underrated

[@blacksky492]

I can’t get enough of your videos !!

[@sebastian-benedictflore]

Haha, a pleasant surprise to see Noriko feature as a pianist on this list. She is a teacher where I study. Wonderful person and pianist

[@calebhu6383]

She is an underrated pianist

[@kurtv4946]

Enough of the technical critique. Can we just rejoice in the pure passion of Rachmaninov's concertos? His music reaches into the soul with beautiful emotion that defies description.

[@henryhorst9858]

I think this is perfect. The 2nd concerto has some insanely difficult parts technically, but it is also insanely difficult to play musically in the piece. The first and third movement are very technically difficult, with a technically difficult section of movement 2. I have not played the rach 3, obviously it is way harder, but this is still difficult and people should play this piece and see if there opinion changes (:

[@GICM]

6:03 "this one's for my agent" when even the usually self-doubting composer praises it you know its good

[@GICM]

you know i feel like even if it had nothing to do with the original paganini theme it would've still been popular as hell

[@luisandresdorfman]

Exquisita selección. Muchas gracias por compartir. Saludos desde Uruguay 🇺🇾

[@Haycar2000]

Corelli Variations are no joke, even Rachmaninov couldn’t always play each one correctly in concert

[@connorrichardson368]

Not exactly the story with that, I believe it was Rachmaninov would skip a variation everytime someone coughed

[@Haycar2000]

@@connorrichardson368 I know he did that as well, which is amazing 😂 but he sometimes had memory issues (not technical ones obvs)

[@colinpountney333]

@@connorrichardson368he was plagued with self doubt and thought coughing showed the audience did not like the variations. So he skipped ahead. Like Symphonic Dances, Corelli was written late in his life after many years when he wrote nothing, because he was a refugee in the US and was forced to earn a living by performing. A tragic life and you can hear it in these late pieces.

[@paggity977]

omg no way my second fav composer after my fav (scriabin)

[@GICM]

beethoven third wheeling

[@j.d.miller4203]

Thank you for including William Kapell in the mix. I think he was a fine interpreter of Rachmaninoff; there are fine recordings available of him playing the 3rd concerto, and the Rhapsody as well.

[@박세원-f4f]

Every pianist is excellent but I think nothing is better than Rachmaninov's play...

[@foxfoster1]

thanks for using captions again

[@GICM]

he already started using the captions again since scriabin video

[@Paulofibonelli]

Thank you for such a lovely selection. All our admiration from Brazil 🇧🇷❤️

[@leumasarc4180]

I love these type of videos! Keep it up

[@GICM]

check out his previous videos if you haven't already!

[@parsakimiaghalam6679]

Completly fantastic pieces

[@GICM]

i think of all the lists so far this one is the hardest to argue with

[@GICM]

yet somehow plenty of people managed to do it

[@pokalorentz9363]

There are many glorious moments in Horowitz's career, but his perfect execution of Rach 3 cadenza at 23:12 by itself is perhaps enough to seal him as the greatest technical piano virtuoso in all of recorded history. (I would love to hear Liszt play but sadly we have no recordings)

[@robert-skibelo]

Am I dreaming or does he leave out a few bars in the last line of the displayed score? Who is right?

[@pokalorentz9363]

@@robert-skibelo he does leave out a few bars. But strict adherence to a score does not matter as much as how well you execute what you choose to play

[@BatmanAoD]

I think the caption on this video at that point is correct: Horowitz's playing is sloppy, especially compared to the modern virtuosos. Horowitz's interpretive powers are arguably unmatched, but judging him as a "technical piano virtuoso", he's hardly one of the greatest, much less *the* greatest. Here's a compilation of 10 other pianists playing this cadenza. I *think* almost all of them are note-perfect (again, speaking purely technically, not about interpretation). Notably, Lang Lang, oft-maligned as he is, actually does have fantastic technique, even if his interpretations are often questionable. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHKqgmaiept9Y8k

[@SZ-wb1qb]

@@BatmanAoDUnfortunately, I'm hardly ever impressed by Horowitz. Perhaps because of the lack of high-quality recording available of him playing. In the ones I am able to find, he doesn't really sound that good. I guess one instance where I am genuinely impressed is his performance of that scrabin etude.

[@GICM]

all these Schumann references just leave me dying for the Schumann video

[@GICM]

its just teasing at this point

[@sean-kb4wr]

​@@GICMedging

[@GICM]

rach sonata 2 coda & rach 3 cadenza joint epicness shows in the peaks

[@GICM]

now that everyone's starting to pay attention to this video its time i put out the obligatory reminder that if you enjoyed this video you should check out his previous lists too! currently the beethoven video and the scriabin video need extra love, they did somewhat more poorly than the other videos kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5WZqGyMe6ZmiKM kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZCYYnhoe8SbaKs and while we're at it, let's get the top 100 hardest violin pieces video to 100k views! i can't believe it hasn't gotten to it yet but currently its 80% there, so check it out if you haven't already! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJO2Zo1potamarM and of course if you wanna see more of these lists don't forget to like the video and subscriabin ;)

[@GICM]

and if you really _really_ enjoyed those and if you're brave enough to venture to the realm of modern music, be sure to check out his top 100 hardest piano works (after 1920)! kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3XQdpWQnpl3pKM (it's unlisted and is on my channel because the original video was taken down by guy named Alistair Hinton, who pretty much just goes around and takes down almost any video with any Sorabji in it)

[@GICM]

23:40 guys he's channeling the com- oh wait he *is* the composer srsly tho another nice thing about these rach recordings is that people cant really use the argument of "tHat's hOW ThE COMpoSer woULd hAvE plaYEd iT" because the composer _did_ play and record it and so they have to accept that interpretations different from the composer's conception can be equally good or even better

[@paolomunoz3536]

You should see Alexandre Kantorow performing Sonata no.1! It is simply the most perfect interpretation I've ever heard...

[@carmendemetrio7685]

¡RACHMANINOV ES LO MAXIMOOOOOOOO❗️🙌🏼 🙌🏼 🙌🏼 ♥️♥️♥️♥️

[@stephenblain7597]

Sometimes the hardest pieces are the the ones we can't play no matter how long we practice. I think Rach knew this. Like the Opus 23 Prelude 2. Most folks can get get through it even with not so large or nimble hands. Get through it perfectly in less than 3 minutes 10 seconds and you get a completely different outlook on the music. Maybe that's the secret of why Rach is great. You go crazy trying to get the works down. Then you really go crazy cuz you're not all there yet. He still dominates even in practice.

[@hansdekorver7365]

Also no. 9 is not very easy.

[@Lulu-jl5zd]

I adore the first concerto and the fourth ...the other two were written as crowd pleasers.great you gave them a proper shout out here! I think on your list you missed the Bb Prelude which is stunning but an absolute naughty to play... I mean I am a professional but I just can't get to the end of it!

[@cornel999]

i'm a violinist so i don't know, but that section around 24:24 really sounds like beast to me. i got to play Rac 3 with Peter Donohoe about a year or so after he got silver at Tchaikovsky. what a thrill!

[@GICM]

yep its a killer passage

[@dang5874]

The most delicious godly piano writing out there.

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

Most sensible list ever

[@samaritan29]

i still think the 1st sonata is harder to perform structurally cohesively then it is to play rach 3

[@calebhu6383]

@@samaritan29 I mean the top 4 are all super difficult so its based on your strengths

[@LM-oz2sc]

@@samaritan29 I don't think so

[@aytahnbenavi]

Quality content my man

[@igo.spekkyjarvonvreich]

piano teacher: I think some of the preludes you cannot play yet piano teacher like a month later: you should move onto the first concerto when we are done with Greig concerto I am confused

[@calebhu6383]

That's a huge jump for sure

[@GICM]

one must marvel at the amount of legendarily iconic recordings that Richter managed to produce. like how good do you have to be that your recording becomes the reference recording even though the composer himself already made a recording a few years prior (and its not even bad). also interesting to note that Richter has so far been in every one of these top 10 videos except for the Liszt one (of course), and they are indeed all iconic, tho judging by the list of composers in the community post it seems that the streak is unfortunately gonna end soon :c

[@calebhu6383]

to me, there is no doubt that richter is the greatest pianist of all time. not my favorite every time but the his sheer command of bach to scriabin is unparalleled

[@GICM]

i'm surprised no one's mentioned the Mendelssohn Midsummer's Night Dream Scherzo Transcription yet, though i'm sure it's only a level 7+ at best

[@archibotgd9466]

Next: Top-10 hardest Prokofiev piano pieces?)

[@awesomesmasher999ftw4]

Darn. Should not have listened to this. Thought I played that Concerto #2 well. I need so much, much, much, more, more, more practice.

[@a.maxime]

a lifetime if not more

[@sebastian-benedictflore]

Don't we all! It never stops. It's a tough, cruel profession/instrument we've chosen but we love it so dearly

[@hadinossanosam4459]

Ah yes, my excitement of being able to sorta kinda somewhat play the 2nd sonata is also mirrored every time by the disillusionment of hearing Kocsis actually play it

[@flyingpenandpaper6119]

Slightly surprised that the honourable mentions would include Op. 16 No. 4 and not Op. 16 No. 2. Also, Kocsis has the best recording of Rachmaninoff 3.

[@GICM]

it seems that despite being a huge rach fan (as far as i can tell at least) Gilels unfortunately did not record that much of his music. mostly he likes to play the famous c# and g minor preludes

[@yundichen8332]

There is a recording of his Rach 3 with Andre cluytens, unfortunately not in great sound but still listenable

[@marco119w7]

I was waiting to see how many Schumann references you could add to this video haha.

[@calebhu6383]

There is surprisingly a lot, when you listen to Rachmaninov the Chopin influence is more apparent but looking at the texture it's sometimes a combination of Chopin and Schumann. A big one not seen in the video is the piano writing in the 2nd concerto first movement after the intro, where the piano is vamping not dissimilar to the first movement of the Schumann concerto. And there's also something to be said for the opening of the 1st concerto (all big octave openings owe to the Schumann concerto).

[@kokositosalvatore]

Nice top, good job

[@GICM]

8:21 i like how you toned it down to "(alleged)"

[@OmarTarekPianist]

Always looking forward to read the subtitles when you use Pletnev's recordings 🤣

[@GICM]

*"alleged"* this time

[@sebastian-benedictflore]

I'm so confused. Can someone explain the joke around Pletnev?

[@GICM]

@@sebastian-benedictflore read his wikipedia article lol

[@sebastian9445]

@@GICM I… still can’t understand, can you please explain?

[@sebastian9445]

Oh nvm, found it…

[@CH3CH2OCH2CH3net]

There is a comment you made at 18:43 which I really believe should be read by ANY person composing for the piano. Those of us who are pianists, writing for the piano, love to write music which is technically challenging to the point of being ball-busting; but -- and you said this perfectly: "the goal, of course, being extreme beauty." Life is TOO SHORT to write deliberately ugly music without a *very* good reason, because that means people are going to listen to that music and in many cases, it's going to feel like something being *forced* on them. It doesn't mean we all write like Busoni, Ravel, Ives, Rachmaninov, Messiaen, Crumb or John Adams. Some of us are minimalists (yo!), some are into "the new complexity". However we write, *the goal has to be extreme beauty*. The question I ask myself when I write is, "Am I willing to stand up for what I just composed?" If the answer is "No" (and it is a lot of the time), then it's time to revise. I can't think of three more dissimilar composers than Rachmaninov, George Crumb and John Adams, but *ALL* of those composers write ravishingly *gorgeous* music!

[@calebhu6383]

I agree to an extent; although there is something to be said for ugly art and music as far as the different ideas that they can evoke. Art shouldn't always be dogmatically idealistic; it should also have the power to reflect the ugliness of the real world. For example, several major paintings by Picasso and Kirchner are deliberately ugly, either in a satirical or genuinely expressionist way. I guess this would fall under the "very good reasons" that you touched upon.

[@CH3CH2OCH2CH3net]

@@calebhu6383 Valid point. Schoenberg's "Survivor from Warsaw" isn't "pretty" but it packs an incredible wallop, emotionally; and Anton Webern isn't "pretty" in the late and post-Romantic conception of the word, but Webern's music is incredibly interesting and supremely well-well crafted. I don't care for a lot of Stockhausen's music (I remember when Stockhausen was considered "the last word" in avant-garde music in the 1960s!) but "Gesang des Junglinge" is compelling. I have always liked Luciano Berio's music, even though his style and mine have very little in common. (He writes incredibly well for the piano!).

[@calebhu6383]

@@CH3CH2OCH2CH3net I would argue that much of Berio and Stockhausen is deliberately not ugly; but (especially Stockhausen) exploring the extreme possibilities of instruments and sound. On a slight tangent, do you think it is possible for a pianist to not have beauty as a main goal in their sound production and still play compellingly?

[@CH3CH2OCH2CH3net]

​@@calebhu6383 I think part of that is a question about musical esthetics, and that's as personal as each musician. I tend to maximize aural beauty using a minimalist technique. (I'm as influenced by medieval music as I am by Steve Reich, Brian Eno and John Adams.) Webern's Variations aren't conventionally "pretty", but they're very compelling music. (There's very little music by Webern, especially his mature music, that I dislike. I wish he'd written more for piano.) The percussiveness of Bartok in his piano music might not be conventionally "beautiful" (ditto very early Shostakovich, such as his First Piano Sonata) but nobody can question the craftsmanship of their music! Hindemith has a "pre-first" piano sonata written in 1917 which doesn't sound very much like the mature Hindemith we all know, but it is *really* compelling music (When I get my new, replacement thumb joint so I'll have a working left thumb again, that's one of the first pieces I want to learn!). Early Henry Cowell was about as unconventional a composer as they came, but he produced some amazing pieces for piano (and some of them are quite haunting). Ditto John Cage, as unorthodox as Cage could be. Thinking this through (and thank you for allowing me to do that!), sometimes we pianists have to adjust our technique to support the compositional "end". Serious question: does that answer what you're asking?

[@calebhu6383]

@@CH3CH2OCH2CH3net Yes, but I also mean in works that are conventionally beautiful. For example, great pianists like Serkin, Pollini, Pogorelich, Sokolov, Gould, and Annie Fischer care relatively little about beautiful tone production as opposed to pianists like Gilels, Rubinstein, Arrau, Cortot, and Moiseiwitsch.

[@nassera]

In no particular order, my most intimate, soul touching favorites; it means the existence of the following works proves that Rachmaninoff felt what I feel, he understood me: Sonata No. 2 Piano Concerto No. 4 Isle of Dead Symphony No. 3 Same class, but not certified as 100% 'soul mate': Fantastic Dances Piano Trio No. 2 Piano Concerto No. 1-3 Symphony No. 1+2

[@123eldest]

do you like his piano suites?

[@nassera]

@@123eldest yes. I'm sorry. I knew I forgot some pieces. Both of his suites are excellent.

[@Whatismusic123]

Lmaooooo you listen to music to feel understood and comforted that is so pathetic and you are missing the entire point

[@Whatismusic123]

He didn't 'feel what you felt' and 'understand you' he made complicated piano music you daft loser

[@nassera]

@@Whatismusic123 I've got my own center of the universe and this (point) is me. You've got your point (view) which I do well understand. We all do love our cages, don't we? But what else do you have to say about your point? What am I missing which you are not?

[@playeronesupercell2389]

Pls do a Prokofiev, Ravel or Brahms edition

[@GICM]

he's gonna go through all major composers

[@IntegralKing]

it says the performer under the score for every segment. Then, you get to 6:03 and the performer is ... Sergei freaking Rachmaninov ...

[@GICM]

featured 3 times no less!

[@austinwgentry]

Please do Alkan next

[@yeetthebeet]

nice list

[@Piano_improvisations]

Our big hands god

[@GICM]

9:11 i think the opening of the 2nd concerto is still equally epic

[@kinda1994]

It is 1st concerto

[@GICM]

@@kinda1994 yes i am aware of that i was saying that the opening of the 2nd concerto is just as epic as this one

[@emilio-wm9jt]

Really good tier list, maybe I would have changed the number 10 but really good job

[@gojewla]

In my humble opinion, I might pick some other pieces and other passages. The opening of the third movement of the second concerto is maybe the most difficult passage from that piece according to most people I know. Also, of the op 39 etudes, the 8th is REALLY hard to play well. It’s so incredibly intricate. Op 33 no 4 is probably the hardest (d minor). Most people can’t do the articulation correctly, but if you hear the richter recording, you see that it’s actually possible. Corelli variation no. 10 is probably the most infamous. If you walk by the practice rooms at any conservatory, that’s the one they always practice. (Particularly a nasty passage in double notes). Some other pieces that I have not played but highly suspect are among his most difficult are the e-flat minor moment musical and the e-flat minor prelude from op. 23, and the e minor prelude from op 32.

[@carlose.johansson739]

Very beautiful, good and interesting 👌

[@jerzyadacha8399]

symphonic dances op 45 are very beautiful and underrated

[@makaan699]

It's scary that nothing by Rachmaninov reaches the top score on your difficulty scale (I get it tho xD). Is it 9 or 10 anyway?

[@calebhu6383]

10, and that's mostly reserved for sorabji or new-complexity works

[@makaan699]

@@calebhu6383 Ok. But the hardest a real human pianist has (sort of accurately) performed is 9 right? Also interesting that you rated Hammerklavier over Rach 3 but I do see the point of it.

[@glauberglousger6643]

@@calebhu6383 sometimes, it’s the length of a piece that makes it hard

[@calebhu6383]

@@makaan699 There are pieces that are 9+ that have been performed accurately, like the Ligeti piano concerto

[@makaan699]

@@calebhu6383 Nice... Maybe the pianist who played it would only rank the Ligeti an even 9 😆 Btw have you seen the video of Li Dayin back squatting from today? Been waiting for that one too long 😆😆

[@nyc2cal902]

I believe you have undervalued the difficulty of the second concerto. The third has more notes per square inch of score, but the second has some parts that are trickier and Rachmaninoff himself said the same. The third may well be more difficult for many, but I think the second is very close to its difficulty and more difficult than the 1st and 4th concertos and Rhapsody.

[@calebhu6383]

For most people, the second concerto is far easier than the third concerto. Barring Rachmaninov's assessment--his hands do not represent the average person's hands.

[@nyc2cal902]

I would agree it is easier for most people, but not "far easier", and certainly not in the position on your list as easier than the 1st, 4th and Rhapsody.

[@amiapsychopat]

that thumbnail basically concludes the video C H O R D S

[@paolocorengia]

I like your channel. Only one thing: leave your comments a little longer I'm slow to read them. But your channel rest the best!

[@justsomeguy7044]

I wish people were more focused on the music than the difficulty. One Sonata No. 1 performance I thought was really good was Howard Shelley's. I think you underrated that sonata's difficulty.

[@GICM]

Shelley's recording was released on Hyperion, and if you're familiar with youtube copyright issues in music you'll know that Hyperion is not to be touched. as for the difficulty different people have had different issues with different rankings in the list; at the end you really can't make a list that everyone agrees with. in any case sonata 1 had been ranked pretty high already anyway. in addition, i think all things considered there's quite a substantial amount of focus on the music in these videos-reflected by the choices of excerpts shown which are less about the most difficult passages and more about climactic moments and by the comments (subtitles) on individual pieces and performances. had this video not been titled "Top 10 Hardest Rachmaninov Pieces for Piano" im sure that there'd have been more focus on the music

[@codonauta]

One stuff about Rachmaninoff I think weird is that there is no a single video of him playing, we have audio and some pictures, not film. He passed away in 1943, in that time there was technology to make film with audio, we have that with other musicians of those years playing. Didn’t Rach like to be filmed playing or something like that?

[@GICM]

seems to be the likely reason. iirc he was a pretty shy guy

[@GICM]

its like everyone's birthday recently (there's also bach and hadyn)

[@segmentsAndCurves]

It's April 1st, maybe somebody is trollin.

[@GICM]

tf bsni too???

[@joshuaslater7858]

for your honourable mentions it’s looks hard… it’s not actually that bad. the hardest bit is recreating structure of piece and to make it interesting. so many pianist fail to do this (IMHO)

[@soloist1295]

Etude tableux op.39 no 3 also deserves a mentioning

[@GICM]

in the honorable mentions

[@smb123211]

As I've gotten older my repertoire has shrunk., The only Rachmaninoff I now play are the Preludes in C Minor, E Flat, G Flat Major and D Flat Major, some of the Moment Musicaux and Etude Tableau Op 39 D Minor. It's just too much to start / relearn anything else.

[@GICM]

that's quite plenty. if i had one suggestion it would probably only to get more slow pieces in the mix (like the G Major prelude perhaps). i think they are usually easier to sightread and in any case its always nice to have balance

[@smb123211]

@@GICM True, I found the Szymanowski Preludes the other night. Not exactly slow but nice. I've picked one from several collections - Chopin's Prelude C Sh Min ("25th" Prelude), the F Minor Etude from Trois Nouvelles etudes, (I'm a polyrhythm guy) Instead of church it's Bach's A Minor English Suite Prelude. Then there's Brahms...maybe I play more than I think. LOL

[@ralphtoussie9991]

And here I am struggling to nail the c# min prelude 😩

[@GICM]

ull get there eventually ;)

[@amiapsychopat]

6:49 that part is 100% video game music

[@onethegogd5783]

Huh

[@StanislavBD]

You should include Rafael Orozco’s Third Concerto first movement cadenza. Still one of my favorite interpretations of the Third.

[@GICM]

02:40 how have i only just now realized that this is the recapitulation of the main theme... i mean to be fair people tend to bring out the piano out more than the orchestra, so surely im not the only one who never noticed right? right?? right????

[@LascoDePasco]

Favourite piece written by Rachmaninoff? Well, it´s rather difficult question. Ask some mother which of her children does she like most...

[@johnphillips5993]

Some of the preludes are monstrously difficult. Op.23/9, 32/4, 32/13

[@GICM]

18:14 i think in terms of texture (and maybe even a bit of the harmony) it reminds me more of Pantalon et Colombine though

[@kofiLjunggren]

You mention that Op.33 No.5 is an honrable mention! But im curios which etude you mean, the d minor or e flat? Thanks anywas!

[@calebhu6383]

Eb

[@CarmenReyes-em9np]

Excelentes pianistas. 👍❣️

[@mateuszapicz6010]

Caleb Hu, i have a question: what happened to your list of the 100 hardest solo piano pieces after 1920?. Can this list be viewed elsewhere?. I miss this list soo much...

[@brownydd8820]

I think it was copystriked over the Sorabij bits, you can find a desorabijzed version by NotMusicTheory here m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/g6i1l6GulJiIkJo

[@notmusictheory74]

Removed because Sorj. A reupload has been made, but it’s not the og because no sorj :’(

[@GICM]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3XQdpWQnpl3pKM here's my reupload for with the sorj

[@mateuszapicz6010]

@@notmusictheory74 Thank you for this sad information! :(

[@philipk4475]

I love Lugansky, but Richter and Volodos bring those Etudes (at least the ones they recorded!) to another level.

[@GICM]

i stan sofronitsky

[@dang5874]

I stan Chochieva

[@soratonin]

You should do a top 2 hardest Paul de Schlözer piano pieces video

[@GICM]

why

[@calebhu6383]

Lol 1 piece (maybe)

[@GICM]

13:43 maybe thats why Paul Wittgenstein never commisioned a concerto from Rach. the art tatum is too strong for him

[@glauberglousger6643]

Interesting to hear what you have to say about the 1838 variant of Liszt’s 4th Paganini Etude Unlike what most people assume, it isn’t actually that difficult (the hard part is trying to keep the chords soft) I can’t say I play it (I can, but slowly, I’m still practicing) The hard part for me is my small handspan But if a 16 year owls could be it, you could too

[@notmusictheory74]

It’s in his top 10 Liszts I think

[@calebhu6383]

There are plenty of things that seem playable until you take them at a quick tempo

[@user-fu7zf4ck9z]

To be honest I kind of hate Rachmaninoffs piano writing. Playing his music is so difficult because you actually need gigantic hands. Liszt and Busoni also wrote some passages that required larger hands, but they were also fairly doable with a lot of practice and smaller hands once you develop a good technique. Rachmaninoff was not fair at all with some of his pieces.

[@GICM]

schumann be like

[@BiggWalrus]

Small hands COPE!

[@SamanthaSeifert]

Well, he is a bit different from many people nowadays! Cope! His works are works of genius, not all music is meant to be played or if you believe it is, try your best just like rest of us trying to play his music.

[@BiggWalrus]

I be playin that maninoff

[@Fritz_Maisenbacher]

Wonderful panorama, Caleb ! Thank you; (but did you try Simon Barere at the place of Rubinstein in the Concerto ?)

[@GICM]

he plays it with the typical Barere personality i guess

[@Fritz_Maisenbacher]

@@GICM No, not at all .... try it, you will see, how Barere melancholic and even desperate could be

[@GICM]

@@Fritz_Maisenbacher well i would then say that i dont necessarily think that the typical Barere personality _isn't_ melancholic and desperate. in any case the rest of the concerto is definitely up to par with his usual fieriness

[@Fritz_Maisenbacher]

@@GICM I never said that Barere was all day melancholic and desperate.

[@GICM]

@@Fritz_Maisenbacher indeed, i did not accuse you of such a thing

[@blacksky492]

5:26 yeah Rachmaninov really is the father of jazz

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

Beethoven was(n't)

[@blacksky492]

@@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji no yes

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

@@blacksky492 yesn't/nyes

[@CatkhosruShapurrjiFurabji]

@@blacksky492 -> ñes

[@TheLifeisgood72]

Jazz already existed when this was written. Listen to anything by Scriabin which was 20 years before this piece.