Polonaise in C minor, Op. 40, No. 2
Polonaise Piano solo
In brief

This Polonaise in C minor has a dramatic, dance-like character with crisp, martial figures alternating with more lyrical passages, creating sustained tension rather than a languid melody. You will face specific challenges such as Octaves (2.5/5), which here require right-hand stability, firm attacks and wrist flexibility to keep octaves clear and powerful without stiffness, and Nuances (2.5/5), since the accents and contrasts must be carefully shaped to make the martial gestures and quieter turns convincing. In Chopin's catalogue this piece belongs to the Op. 40 set and occupies its place as a characterful polonaise for solo piano. I am not listing a reference recording here because I prefer not to risk citing an interpretation that I cannot verify with certainty.

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  • Play — Ivo Pogorelich - Chopin - Polonaise No 2 in C minor, Op 40 · Classical Vault 1 (the player loads on click)

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MusicCoach difficulty
78/100
Advanced
Likely range : 66–90/100
Confidence : 44% · to confirm
BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedVirtuoso
Exam grade
About grade 8

Estimated from our difficulty score, not taken from an exam syllabus. Checked against 333 works on the ABRSM syllabus: the exact grade is right 7 times out of 10, and within one grade 99 times out of 100.

Difficulty estimate by MusicCoach on a scale of 1 to 100.

Where this work sits
050100

Most works cluster between 45 and 65: a small score gap often marks a real step. The highlighted bar shows this work among those for the same instrument.

The MusicCoach difficulty measures a work's overall demands (technique, reading, stamina) on a shared 0-100 scale, consolidated from editorial and pedagogical reference points (Henle, exam syllabuses, curation) and our own analyses. It measures neither musical value nor the practice time YOU will need: two musicians of the same level can experience the same work very differently depending on their strengths (hands used to octaves, quick sight-reading…). The confidence reflects how many reference points sit behind the score and how well they agree — a lightly documented score is flagged “to validate”. For a truly personal bearing, the diagnostic and your space compare each work to YOUR estimated level, which the score alone cannot do.

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Relative difficulty
90%
Among Frédéric Chopin
95%
Era
96%
Genre
Estimated skills
Style
Character and style
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Technique
Octaves
1
Technique
Fast passages
1
Rhythm
Dotted rhythms
1
Technique
General technique
1
What to play next?

Each suggestion combines difficulty gap, risk, confidence and skill overlap. The first two cards in each column are the most useful pedagogically.

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