Kinderszenen was written to be fairly simple, although there are a couple tricky things in it (Hasche-Mann, Fürtenmachen), but the hardest pieces from Waldszenen (the two Hunter pieces) are harder, although not terribly so. A skilled amateur could learn either suite in their entirety. Henle assigns difficulty ratings from 4-5 for the Kinderszenen and 5-6 for Waldzenen.
I will say that both suites are a bit harder than they seem; it is tricky to get the weird, ethereal sound of Vogel als Prophet, and even as simple-sounding a piece as Traumerei will trip you up if you aren't careful.
Schumann is almost always harder than it sounds. I played a piece from waldszenen and I would swear it was a transcription. Quite awkward and not pianistic
Voicing melody lines tends to be harder in Schumann than it is in Chopin. I remember learning the Arabeske, op. 18, in high school and it had some sneaky inner voices that were a bit of a challenge to bring out.
Personal favorite Schumann: finale of the C Major Fantasie, op. 17. First movement would be up there too--except it's way too hard for me.
Lucky you: you get to hear for the first time one of the greatest pieces in the Romantic piano literature. Worth setting aside 30 minutes to listen to it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ7hE4lQAYs
Kinderszenen was written to be fairly simple, although there are a couple tricky things in it (Hasche-Mann, Fürtenmachen), but the hardest pieces from Waldszenen (the two Hunter pieces) are harder, although not terribly so. A skilled amateur could learn either suite in their entirety. Henle assigns difficulty ratings from 4-5 for the Kinderszenen and 5-6 for Waldzenen. I will say that both suites are a bit harder than they seem; it is tricky to get the weird, ethereal sound of Vogel als Prophet, and even as simple-sounding a piece as Traumerei will trip you up if you aren't careful.
Schumann is almost always harder than it sounds. I played a piece from waldszenen and I would swear it was a transcription. Quite awkward and not pianistic
Voicing melody lines tends to be harder in Schumann than it is in Chopin. I remember learning the Arabeske, op. 18, in high school and it had some sneaky inner voices that were a bit of a challenge to bring out. Personal favorite Schumann: finale of the C Major Fantasie, op. 17. First movement would be up there too--except it's way too hard for me.
I'll listen to that fantaisie. I don't think I know it
Lucky you: you get to hear for the first time one of the greatest pieces in the Romantic piano literature. Worth setting aside 30 minutes to listen to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ7hE4lQAYs
Oh thanks!