MusicCoach difficulty
81/100
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
Knowledge of forms
1
Pedaling
Sustain pedal
1
Style
Romantic style
1
Rhythm
Tempo rubato
1
Theory
Harmonic analysis
1
Technique
Hand independence
1
Interpretation
Dynamics
1
Interpretation
Phrasing
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. 3 in F minor, op. 5
Johannes Brahms
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 Indépendance des mains — understand the form and the harmony before memorising, or memory collapses the moment you play for someone.
Gentle
Piano Sonata no. 5, op. 53
Alexander Scriabin
close skills
low risk
to confirm
A short step up, staying in 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.
Balanced step
A genuine step up, without a jolt.
Balanced
Piano Sonata no. 29 in B flat major, op. 106, "Hammerklavier"
Ludwig van Beethoven
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: 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. 2 in B flat minor, op. 36
Sergei Rachmaninoff
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: Passages rapides and Connaissance des formes — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
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
Fantasy and Fugue on the Chorale Ad nos, ad salutarem undam, S.624, R.314
Franz Liszt
close skills
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: Polyphonie à trois voix ou plus and Analyse harmonique — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Same level
Same level
Wanderer Fantasy
Franz Schubert
new reflexes
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: Polyphonie à trois voix ou plus and Ornements romantiques — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
Same level
Wanderer Fantasy D.760
Franz Schubert
new reflexes
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: 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
Ballade No.3 in A-flat major Op.47
Frédéric Chopin
new reflexes
low risk
to confirm
Equivalent demands, right at the edge of Advanced (around grade 8 ABRSM/RCM): different ground, same level. What changes is the skill in play: Passages rapides and Demi-pédale — practise it slowly and hands separately before any attempt at tempo: that is where tension builds up.
This Allegretto rondo has a playful yet slightly wistful character, alternating catchy refrains with more songlike episodes that require a clear trajectory while allowing a gentle melancholy to emerge. Knowledge of form (3.6/5) is essential: you must identify and shape the recurring refrains and contrastive episodes so the rondo structure remains intelligible, and sustain pedal control (3.1/5) calls for precise placement to connect figures without muddying inner voices, requiring measured pedal changes aligned with harmonic shifts. The movement belongs to Schubert’s late piano sonatas and holds a significant place in his piano output as an example of melodic invention within a lucid formal design.