Bach or Beethoven?

[Ken]

As a pianist I like them both, but if I had to live on a desert island with only one, I'd pick Beethoven.

For piano I really like Rachmaninoff. Of course Beethoven's piano sontatas are wonderful too.

Well, Rachmaninoff is way outside of my limited abilities. But some Bach and Beethoven is manageable.

[Fidelio]

As a pianist I like them both, but if I had to live on a desert island with only one, I'd pick Beethoven.

For piano I really like Rachmaninoff. Of course Beethoven's piano sontatas are wonderful too.

Well, Rachmaninoff is way outside of my limited abilities. But some Bach and Beethoven is manageable.

I have a co-worker who is a pianist (BS and MS in music) and he says,

Piano works of Mozart and Beethoven were in the "Classical style" or Classical period. They are moderately difficult to execute, especially the Beethoven Sonatas. Once western music got into the "Romantic period" compositions for symphony orchestra and compositions for solo piano and piano concertos got far more complex. More difficult to play. It takes technique, maturity and knowledge of emotion/expression to pull these compositions off, especially Concertos. ... [Rachmaninoff's] Second Concerto is somewhat difficult (a little more involved than the Brahms, Liszt, Grieg or Prokofiev Concertos), but nowhere as difficult or involved as the Third Concerto. After all, Rachmaninoff was a master pianist, and had huge hands, and formulated his own style in his concertos. They are involved. They are longer than most Concertos. They are difficult. ... The Third Concerto is probably one of the most intricate and definitely the most difficult to perform.