MusicCoach difficulty
82/100
Master repertoire
Level of the complete work
We have no level specific to this movement. The figure above is that of the complete work: within a cycle, movements often differ widely in demand.
Estimated skills
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Theory
Knowledge of forms
1
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Tone
Touch control
1
Technique
Hand independence
1
Technique
Legato
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
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.
Gentle step
The safest next step.
Gentle
Piano Sonata no. 1, op. 24
Carl Maria von Weber
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Gentle
Piano Sonata no. 1 in C major, op. 1
Johannes Brahms
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM). The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Balanced step
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
Balanced
Piano Sonata no. 31 in A flat major, op. 110
Ludwig van Beethoven
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up: this piece moves you into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). New compared with the previous piece: Passages rapides and Connaissance des formes — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Balanced
Piano Sonata no. 28 in A major, op. 101
Ludwig van Beethoven
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up: this piece moves you into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). New compared with the previous piece: Demi-pédale and Connaissance des formes — the pedal is set by ear, note by note: misjudged, it blurs the harmony instead of joining it.
Ambitious challenge
A useful leap with guided practice.
Challenge
Sonata no. 3 in B minor, op. 58
Frédéric Chopin
close skills
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. New compared with the previous piece: Passages rapides and Connaissance des formes — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Challenge
Piano Sonata no. 2 in B flat minor, op. 36
Sergei Rachmaninoff
close skills
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap into Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. New compared with the previous piece: Passages rapides and Connaissance des formes — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Same level
Same level
Impromptu no. 2 in F sharp major, op. 36
Frédéric Chopin
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Passages rapides and Voix chantante — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Same level
Allegro and Scherzo, D.570
Franz Schubert
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Staccato — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Same level
Fantasia in G minor, D.9
Franz Schubert
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Advanced (around grade 7 ABRSM/RCM): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Passages rapides — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
The II. Con moto of Sonata D. 850 has an itinerant, slightly restless character, shifting between singing phrases and driving rhythmic impulses that require a lively sense of breath and clear inner voices. Technically, “Connaissance des formes” (3.6/5) is essential: you must map repeats and sequences to shape phrase accents and manage transitions so recurring motifs remain audible; “Tempo rubato” (3.1/5) calls for restrained control of local time flexions — small, deliberate timing adjustments that never undermine the underlying metric structure. The piece belongs to Schubert’s Romantic-period output and is part of his cycle of piano sonatas, where lyrical melody meets extended formal design.