Top 10 Hardest Debussy Pieces for Piano

Debussy was a master of effect. From his ballets down to his solo works, Debussy did what he could to bring out as many colors and sounds as he could possibly produce. And yet, despite the sometimes bewildering nature of his auralistic innovations, his piano music shows a deep sensibility that conveys his true understanding of the instrument. Debussy’s writing is often virtuosic yet pianistic, much like Liszt—but unlike Liszt, Debussy seldom if ever sought to write difficulty for difficulty’s sake, or even virtuoso writing for the sake of showing off. In terms of pianistic effect, Debussy extended what Liszt had already built while simultaneously backing away from the more extreme aspects of Liszt’s music. This makes Debussy a surprisingly accessible composer for the piano; of course providing that one can already play at an advanced level. Debussy’s chief technical tools all stem from Liszt—arpeggios, tremolos, double notes, alternating hands, and chromaticism. Friendlier for the hands is the distinct lack of extended octave passages. The techniques that Debussy uses should come naturally and intuitively to a pianist with a strong understanding of the piano. However, this does not mean that Debussy lacks unique difficulties of his own. Characteristic of Impressionism, Debussy’s works require an evocative yet sensual atmosphere; a single note out of place can easily destroy the ambience that the pianist has worked to create. Especially difficult are the quiet passages, where the action and sound of the piano can result in varying results. A subtle and consistent touch is required to bring out the more understated elements of what Debussy was trying to achieve. Consistency is key, as many of his works make use of repetition, whether it be rapid patterns, long stretches of alternating hands, or simply repeated notes. And to master his music one must master the pedal. Too much pedal and the piece sounds soppy and wet; too little and you walk past the aural innovations of the music. The half pedal must be in the arsenal, as well as the soft pedal and the finger pedal. Overall, there are composers which were far more unfriendly to pianists than Debussy. But because Debussy understood the piano so well, so too must a pianist have a complete understanding of the piano in order to play his music. 10. Pour le Piano (7) 0:00 (No.3 “Toccata“) Noriko Ogawa 9. L’isle Joyeuse (7) 0:45 Maurizio Pollini 1:27 Nelson Goerner 8. Images, Book II (7) 2:10 (No.1 “Cloches à travers les feuilles“) Claudio Arrau 3:02 (No.3 “Poissons d’or“) Pascal Rogé 7. Images, Book I (7) 3:26 (1. “Reflets Dans L’eau“) Sabine Weyer 4:00 (No.3 “Mouvement“) Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli 6. Preludes, Book I (7 ) 4:37 (No.3 “Le vent dans la plaine“) Dino Ciani 5:01 (No.5 “Les Collines D’Anacapri“) Walter Gieseking 5:36 (No.7 “Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest“) Zoltán Kocsis 5. Preludes, Book II (8 6:10 ( “Les Tierces Alternées“) Paavali Jumpannen 6:48 ( “Feux d’artifice“) Sviatoslav Richter 4. Khamma (8) 7:42 Michael Korstick 8:17 Martin Jones 3. Etudes, Book I (8 ) 8:58 (No.2 “Pour les tierces“) Jean-Efflam Bavouzet 9:59 (No.3 “Pour les quartes“) Yvonne Loriod 10:19 (No.5 “Pour les octaves“) Monique Haas 2. Jeux (8 ) 10:53 Jeanne Golan 1. Etudes, Book II (8 ) 11:45 (No.7 “Pour les degrés chromatiques“) Walter Gieseking 12:19 (No.8 “Pour les agréments“) François-Joel Thiollier 13:19 ( “Pour les arpèges composés“) Alexis Weissenberg 13:58 ( “Pour les accords“) Nelson Goerner Honorable mentions: Fantaisie for piano and orchestra, Estampes, Tarentelle styrienne, Épigraphes antiques (solo piano version), Masques 0:00 Introduction 0:22 Pour le piano 1:33 9. L’isle joyeuse 2:10 Images, Book II 4:37 Preludes, Book II 7:42 Khamma 11:45 Etudes, Book II