I personally think Rach`s G-minor prelude is overplayed. Same with Fantasie-Impromptu, Rach You-Know-What C-sharp-minor, Sonata "Moonlight", Grieg Piano Concerto, and others I can`t think of right now.
I went to a piano competition once and FIVE people played the Rachmaninoff C-sharp-minor prelude. (Not all of the pianists played it well either.) I was cursing when I left.

jebidiah ur full of it. u can`t play dance of death. same w/ u meowth- chopin concerto in e minor by 15 come on that`s unbelievable. Saying you freakin sight read the piece or something isn`t the same as freakin performing it. you freakin liars. you guys just want to brag or something- make other people feel down, huh? be freakin honest. ur no Horowitz.

I know some1. Most of these people just want some attention; they`re all trying to glorify themselves. Nobody here can play these difficult pieces. They all probably just heard them on a CD or maybe they asked their teachers what`s the hardest piece in the world so they can say they played it. It`s rather pathetic really. Also, stop talking about all these Chopin etudes and Rachmaninoff preludes and Hungarian Rhapsodies as if they are nothing. You all keep saying "Totentanz is a fun piece. Have you ever played it?" or "I love the Revolutionary Etude. It`s such a fun piece to play." You all just tick me off. You can`t play these pieces with just one year`s worth of experience; it`s not possible. They`re much too difficult so stop talking about them as if they were easy. They take years of hard work to perfect you idiots. So stop posting such bullsh!t.

I`m 8 years old and I`ve been playing piano for 1 week and I`ve already mastered Rachmaninoff`s 3rd concerto, Lizst`s Totentanz, and the majority of Chopin`s etudes.

Well, i can see where your coming from in saying that people are trying to make themselves sound good, but i wouldnt say most people are. Having read over the posts its clear that most people are giving an honest view of their own ability, and i think that some may have actually misread the posters question by listing their favourite piece (or pieces) as opposed to ones they can actually play. As for your point about saying this piece is so much fun and so on, i dont see anything wrong with that. Perhaps they do find the piece fun, without trying to make it sound insignificant, or thats the best way they would like to describe their wiew of it. And as for saying "nobody here can play these difficult pieces" how would you know that? Just because a piece is difficult doesnt mean its impossible, and with the right amount of dedication and practice they can be learned by any pianist maybe not perfectly at concert standard but to a level which the pianist sees as an achievement and whats so bad about sharing your achievements with others?

My favourite piece that I have ever played is Chopin`s Nocturne in Bb minor, op.9 no(1?). I like it not because it is difficult, I don`t really care about that, but because it is an extremely beautiful, expressive piece.
I did not sight-read it, I have been playing it for a few months and it is still not perfect.

i`m 18, and i just had my recital, i played Tchaikovsky`s piano concerto no. 1 with a stereo in the background.
ok, it was kinda corny, but whatever. not everyone can afford a whole ochestra with which to accompany them. but, yah, it was the original
peice, took me like 9 months to perfect it, since i have NO TIME being a senior and all, and hey, not everyone is Mozart...

My fav piece is Revolutionary etude by Chopin, which I`m currenty working on.

How do you people know what I can and cannot play?!

it`s very difficult to choose, i enjoy playing chopin chopin etude op.25 n.1, and liszt la campanella, but it is too hard for me, im only 15

Anyone who has not heard Chopin`s Op. 31 Scherzo in Bb minor, you really should hear it, its my favorite piece its absolutely gorgeous

Well I don`t play the piano but I always enjoyed " Moonlight sonta" by Beethoven, it was just a haunting beautiful peice. Another peice I have recently discovered is " Lovedream No. 3 in A flat major " by Franz Liszt which I LOVE right now, it is a very beautiful and very very haunting love song.


-darthvadergirl

Hmmm my favourites? As of this moment, there are these few which I really like;

Flight of the Bumble Bee by Rimsky Korsakov
Don`t you think that this piece is extremely energetic? It also has a stunning combination of strength and grace. Right now, I`m still trying the first bar for this song, not a very good piano player myself!

Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven
Though I can only play the first movement, I love the beauty of both the first movement and the third. An excellent sound!

Fur Elise by Beethoven
Some people might call this a "little piece of crap". But I think it is very romantic and emotion-filled. It also has a kind of light grace slightly similar to Chopin`s Butterfly Study but with a little more lingering sense.

Sonata Pathetique 2nd Movement Beethoven
Very emotional and kinda touching.

Ballad Pour Adeline
Not really a classic, but I sure do like it!

My all-time favourite is Ballade No.1 Op.23 by Chopin. I`ve played it like ziliion times since I first learned it, but I never get tired of it. The piece has so many surprises and melodic beauty that cannot be surpassed by any other pieces. This will be my favourite for the rest of my life.

I have been practicing Für Elise for months. I can play it all the way to the end but always, ALWAYS, at some random part I make a mistake. It is VERY annoying, but still I love playing it.