09.21.06

“The Conclusion” 11.2004 Article

Posted in 2005/2006 Beginnings at 3:36 am by Miracle ♪♫

—————-=====The Conclusion=====—————
(Which piano composition is the most difficult?)

Within the short span of a week, I have heard various estimations and arguments on which piano composition stands to be the most

excruciatingly thorny.  The list usually starts with the colossal Rach 3 which is very complex, but which I also deem to have its

difficulty exaggerated by the movie, Shine.
Stravinsky’s Petroushka – the same as Bartok’s viola concerto that is equally tedious for a violist, I agree with the writer who

declared that piano music created by a non-pianist would most likely become nearly impossible.
Chopin’s E minor – technically challenging and more difficult than Rach 3, some say.   Balakirev’s Islamey – labeled to be one of

the world’s most tricky pieces.  Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin: Toccata. Ah, yes, the list goes on.

Certainly, there would be no end to the different claims.  So, which is the most difficult in Miracle Romano’s opinion?  After

all, I guaranteed a conclusion with my title, did not I?

I have inspected and considered the dissimilar lines of reasoning, and found ALL of them judicial and factual.  So how can each

of those dissimilar views be all right? Just as beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, a composition’s difficulty rests on the

pianist’s skill.

The discussion of “the most difficult piece” should not even persist.  My ground for this is through the numerous experiences

that I used to face with much perplexity.  One example is through the study of Rach 2, a Mozart and Scarlatti sonata.  I

accomplished the Mozart three years before Rach 2, but until now, I am not satisfied with how I perform the Mozart and Scarlatti

while on the other hand, I feel fulfilled with my recently memorized Rach 2.  If I set the scores side by side, a kindergarten

student will confidently insist upon the Rach 2 being “difficult” and the Mozart and Scarlatti sonatas “easy”…but, alas! How can

I persuade him that he is right when the time comes that he will let me perform the same pieces? The same child is capable of

detecting the slightest tempo inconsistency, and to my chagrin, an awkward hand position!

With the lack of a regular teacher, I find myself to be inadequate on some essential techniques for some “simple” pieces.

Another example is the comparison of Ravel Toccata that I studied along with Gottschalk’s Marche des Gibaros.  Everyone would

definitely agree at first glance that the Toccata is superior in difficulty.  Why is it then that I play the Ravel clearer than I

play the Gottschalk? The answer is simply because somewhere along the road, I have been taught the proper technique for Toccata,

but the technique for the shifting octaves in Marche des Gibaros, I have yet to learn.  Thus, proving that there are divers kinds

of difficulty in technique alone, not to mention tempos and rhythms, and other crucial elements of a piece.

Now then, before I give away all my infirmities as a pianist, I would like to ask a question.  Would Lang Lang and Van Cliburn be

found arguing whether Rach 3 is harder than Chopin’s E minor? I doubt it.  They both find the two pieces easy.

Would I have been found arguing over the same thing with another pianist on the same level as I? Yes, there was a big possibility

that I would have before I started writing this.

The point is – yes, I do have one - there is a painful truth that such arguments pertaining to the “most difficult piece” arise

only among pianists, such as myself, who have not reached the ultimate class of pianists when technical and musical
immaculateness has already been achieved.

We have not lost anything during the exchange of ideas and thoughts as we discussed complicated pieces.  However, let us not

waste time contemplating on such matters, but rather, use our time to ensure that we be not trapped in the rank of underling

pianists and let us continue striving to improve and falling in love with our music regardless of the difficulty.

—————-==========End==========—————-

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