MusicCoach difficulty
80/100
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
Rhythm
Polyrhythm 2 against 3
1
Style
Modern and contemporary style
1
Technique
Hand crossings
1
Technique
Fast passages
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. 2
Pierre Boulez
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). New compared with the previous piece: Indépendance des mains and Connaissance des formes — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Gentle
Piano Sonata no. 3, op. 54
Alberto Ginastera
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Style moderne et contemporain — 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
Variations and Toccata on 'Aurora lucis rutilat', op. 52
Alberto Ginastera
close skills
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up, staying in Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). New compared with the previous piece: Staccato 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. 2 in B flat minor, op. 36
Sergei Rachmaninoff
partial transfer
moderate risk
to confirm
A real step up, staying in Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8). The skill that will carry the work: Connaissance des formes and Passages rapides — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Ambitious challenge
A useful leap with guided practice.
Challenge
Sonata in G major, K.470, L.304
Domenico Scarlatti
partial transfer
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap while staying in Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. New compared with the previous piece: Style baroque and Ornements baroque — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Challenge
Sonata in G major, K.455, L.209
Domenico Scarlatti
partial transfer
high risk
to confirm
An ambitious leap while staying in Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8) — only worth starting if the practice time is really there. New compared with the previous piece: Style baroque and Ornements baroque — the notes are not enough: articulation and ornaments follow performance conventions best checked in an urtext edition.
Same level
Same level
Study no. 23: Allegro, etude
Charles Ives
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Gammes et arpèges and Style moderne et contemporain — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Same level
Scherzo
Igor Stravinsky
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Staccato and Demi-pédale — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Same level
Scherzo, op. 2
Maurice Duruflé
partial transfer
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, still Great repertoire (diploma level, beyond grade 8): what changes is the ground. What changes is the skill in play: Staccato and Style moderne et contemporain — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
This movement alternates brusque, driving energy with moments of suspended, more mysterious writing — sharp attacks and accents give way to floating episodes, creating tension between propulsion and stasis. Skill to work on: Analyse harmonique (3.6/5) — you will need to quickly map shifting chords and unusual modulations to shape voicings and color so the lines remain clear within the dense texture. Skill to work on: Polyrhythmie 2 contre 3 (3.1/5) — right- and left-hand independence requires precise micro-timing (attack placement and mental subdivision) so the cross-rhythms articulate without drifting. From the modern period, the piece exemplifies Ives’s rhythmic and harmonic experimentation in his piano output.