Most difficult pieces on the violin
The question of which pieces are hardest to play on the violin has its own challenges. For instance, some pieces may be hard because they focus on particular techniques which are challenging for some players and easy for others. Other pieces may simply be more experimental in nature. While there’s no point in getting overwhelmed by one of these pieces while you’re attempting to learn the instrument, we thought it would be useful to provide some examples of what the violin can do.1. “Ciaconna”"Partita in D minor for solo violin,” Johann Sebastian BachA number of scholars believe that Bach wrote this Partita in loving memory of his first wife, Maria Barbara Bach. That might explain the passion which goes into each movement, particularly the fifth one, called “Ciacconna.” Lasting 13-15 minutes, it is longer than the first four parts combined and is in the form of a triptych, covering every detail of the violin experience that Bach was aware of. Rachel Podger, Hilary Hahn, and Leonid Kogan are just a few of the people to record the Partita in all its glory.2. “Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35,” Pyotr Ilyich TchaikovskyThis three-movement concerto is generally considered one of the most difficult for the violin. Tchaikovsky wrote it in 1878 while recovering on the shores of Lake Genevahe was nursing heartbreak from a failed marriage to Antonina Miliukova at the time. Upon hearing the finished product, one critic wrote that “the violin was not played but beaten black and blue.” The piece is characterized by notoriously difficult “modal scale and multiple stop passages.”3. “Chi mi frena in tal momento” (Sextet)Lucia di Lammermoor, Gaetano DonizettiDonizetti’s opera is the thirteenth most-performed opera in North America, and the sextet that serves as the penultimate musical number in the second act might just be one of the reasons. The music reflects the six characters of the opera and thus demands a cunning balance between independent movements and a connected whole. The tune has become popular in a number of films, including Scarface (1932) and The Departed (2006).4. “Perpetuum mobile”Ottokar NovacekPerpetuum mobile pieces are always difficult, as they’re based on a continuous series of notes played at a fast tempo, but Novacek’s is one of the craziest. The violin/piano piece has enjoyed a long life, and can be found on albums such as Michael Rabin: The Early Years and the William Primrose Collection, Vol. 3.