Hi, my name is Karen and I just wanted to know what the hardest flute piece was. Or, if you know of a really hard one anyway though it might not be the hardest. Thanks!

There isn't such a thing as the most difficult piece. What some people find easy, others find difficult. Of course pieces do get more difficult but there isn't one you can define as the hardest. It also depends on your level, for instance I am finding Grade 8 pieces challenging right now, but others may find them easy!

Apparently the Ibert is one of the hardest. Nielsen did some fiendish wind concerti too. Another one I heard was the Prokofiev Sonata in D Minor, not played any of them though. The hardest orchestral flute part is believed to be the Classical Symphony by Prokoviev.

I know some pieces are more difficult for others. I just wanted a list of some really difficult flute solos that I could try out. I guess I worded it wrong. Also, what is the highest grade level you can reach? I didn't know there was anything past Grade 6. I must be in the dark.

Grade 8, and then there's all sorts of diplomas and stuff...

Try Karg-Elert's Appassionata Sonata in F# minor for solo flute.

That sounds very hard!

It's very modern in style (think Hindemith) and lasts for 4 pages - I rather like it but its not quite at performance standard just yet!

Sounds interesting!

I played a piece by Hindemith when in our county youth orchestra in 6th form. We all loathed it at first because it was HARD and we couldn't hear the shape of it or anything. By the time we could play it, it was one of my favourite pieces...

I have never played anything by him, but I am sure I have heard someone play a sonata by him.

The Hindemith Flute Sonata is very accessible - not too odd-sounding. The Acht Stucke (can't find an umlaut) for solo flute are a little less so. The board has taken them off the syllabus now, presumably because they were rarely played. I did a couple of them in exams (for Grades 5 and 6, I believe), but those were the days when my teacher put things in front of and I played them, whether they were immediately appealing or not.

Going back to Karg-Elert, I have the Thirty Studies. Almost impossible to sight read.

My candidate for most difficult flute piece would be Jolivet's Chant de Linos. It's just appeared on the new LRSM syllabus. That's one I'm never going to tackle.

My flute teacher was recording me pieces on a tape which were about my standard, and she was talking to me about the other pieces on the CD and she thinks that Chant de Linos is fiendish, and it would take her a long time to learn it!! Sounds very horrible!

My only real experience of Hindemith was the Variations on a Theme of Carl Maria Von Weber, which was that orchestral piece, but from that then I suspect I might like other stuff as long as it wasn't TOO weird. How hard is the sonata though? I imagine it'd be beyond me just yet............

I think it is on the Grade 8 list...

Each movement is around Grade 8 standard. The whole sonata is on the DipABRSM list. The final movement (Sehr lebhaft and Marsch) is on the current Grade 8 list.

Bit beyond me then oh well, one day I'll have to see if I can listen to a bit of it on amazon or something, see if I like it.

A student of mine chose to play the solo flute pieces from Hindemith's Ach Stucke for her grade 6 (Easter 2004). I was really pleased that she enjoyed playing them.

the Hindemith is actually EASY compared to some of the modern music out these days

if anyone saw the semi finals of the Young Musician Of The Year 2004, a guy did a piece called "Zoom Tube" and that is EXTREMELY difficult since it NEEDS an open hole flute and calls for singing and playing together, portamentos/glissandos and multiphonics