"Mazeppa" is ranked among the most difficult of the twelve études both musically and technically, perhaps second only to "Feux Follets" (the fifth in the set). According to G. Henle Verlag, a German publisher of sheet music, it is rated at the highest difficulty along with five other compositions within this set of Transcendental Études. Successful execution requires great speed and endurance, as well as a complete familiarity with the piano due to the abundance of jumps that span more than an octave.