Alkan vs Chopin vs Liszt

Each composer has their own hardest works, but I would like to see what you think.
I think they go in this order three being the not so hard, #1 being the hardest:

3: Chopin
2: Liszt
1: Alkan

 

As I have posted elsewhere not too long ago, this order is the same as that recognized/recommended by Hans von Bulow. It should be stated that the order is true for the hardest works of each, with considerable overlap otherwise.

 

I have noticed these days that Liszt’s piano-compositions are often played/interpreted very fast, hard and harsh
whereas “older Masters” on old LP’s etc. interpret Liszt more sensitively with lots of tonality and melody.
These contradictions are very confusing.

 

Probably the reason is that so many of Liszt's pieces frequently end up becoming "conservatory anvils". The younger pianists after graduation then continue bashing them as such instead of rethinking and recasting them through more artistic playing. There is nothing like listening to the real masters from the Golden Age of Piano play these works.

David

 

Thanks Rachfan. I was asking because I am a beginner on the Fortepiano on one hand
and on the other hand I have been listening to music all my life.

I have listened to early Liszt-interpretations by Harold Bauer (1942), Moriz Rosenthal (1942),
William Kapell (1951), Teresa Carreno (1906), Emil Sauer (1905), Ferruccio Busoni (1905),
Lhevinne (1923-1929), Dinu Lipatti (1947), Sergei Rachmaninoff (1919) and others
and they interpret Liszt with a wonderful tuneful elegance & ease and it is very inspiring to listen to their interpretations.
Even when they play fast, there is no bang/bashing involved, it still sound as if “pearls drop with an ease over the keys”.

It is strange how much playing/interpreting Liszt seems to have changed over the years.

 

I agree. It's just that each generation has its own interpretation of things that have occurred in the past, well in this part, it is how they interpret the piece of the masters back then.

 

Well said, my friend!

YoungPianoVirtuoso, I think there is an inverse proportionality in music. Your list ranks increasing order of technical difficulty. But, musically, the order is reversed. There are many great pianists who are technically brilliant, but a few ever achieve commensurate musical prowess. Let the music do the talking, not the notes.