Favourite piano sonata

[bernardc]

All 32!

Seriously, it's hard to say. The critics would obviously cite the last 3 sonatas which seem to inhabit a different world from the earlier ones (or do they really?)

Then there's the mighty Op 106 which is the MT EVEREST of the series but would I say it was my "favourite"?

The most popular sonatas tend to be the ones with names but as I'm a Beethoven nut I'm too snobbish to choose one of them!

Here I might add that ANY sonata being performed live by Alfred Brendel (Op 28 recently at the Edinburgh Festival) would be my favourite at that time.

OK I give in. I might plump for Op 10 no 3 which is not too popular but which whenever you hear it cannot fail to please the ear and mind. The four movts are each finely crafted with the opening one simply bursting with energy, the 2nd deeply affecting and weighty, the 3rd a charming light-hearted dance and the last a terrific tease.

But there's nothing to beat those last 3 sonatas performed together in one concert!!

[Opus131]

Propably the Opus 111, followed by the rest of the late sonatas.

BTW, i always thought the Opus 49 to be too weak to belong with the rest, so to me they have always been the '30' sonatas...

[This message has been edited by Opus131 (edited 09-26-2005).]

[Droell]

Op. 111 is appealing, but for me, op. 109 wins.

Any thought to who you want - or don't want - to play them? Bonus points if you can play yourself. Wish, wish, wish I could.

[This message has been edited by Droell (edited 09-26-2005).]

[Sorrano]

The op. 10, no. 3 is my favorite to play. For listening I have to go with op. 57 and the so-called "pastoral" (I don't remember the opus number, sorry) is another among my favorites.

[Opus131]

Originally posted by Sorrano:
(I don't remember the opus number, sorry) is another among my favorites.

That'd be the Opus 28 in D

[Chris]

My favorite is probably...Op. 53 (Waldstein). Hard to choose just one, but this one totally blew me away the first time I heard it, probably more than any other.

[Peter]

Originally posted by Droell:
Op. 111 is appealing, but for me, op. 109 wins.

Any thought to who you want - or don't want - to play them? Bonus points if you can play yourself. Wish, wish, wish I could.

My favourite sonata tends to be the one I'm working on and at the moment that's Op.109!



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'Man know thyself'

[untamed_personality]

I'd go with Op.106. If I were to try and pin down my favourite individual pieces of music, the great 'Hammerklavier' adagio sostenuto would figure very highly - it might even win hands down. The scope, passion and profundity are simply overwhelming. I also love the fugal development in the first movement and the utterly uncompromising finale.

All the late sonatas are favourites of mine, though, followed by Opp.53 and 57.

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Seizing fate by the throat...

[Geratlas]

For me it is hard to say since I have only so far heard opp.2,7,10,13,14,22,26,27,28,31,53,57,79 and possibly some more, yes: op.81a, and op.49! - That leaves all the the late ones, which are regarded as being from yet higher spheres of divine genius! - So as for now my utter favourism goes to that groundbreaking sonata (Opus53), but or most of the time I listen to those sonatas composed earlier than that. There's still much to explore for another time! / G. over to You ~

[Pianoprodigy]

Hey guys! My favorite sonata is the Hammerklavier. (I can play it too)

[Raro]

Hammerklavier (hard not to add "of course"...), arguably the mightiest piece of piano music ever written.

I must say, there are sonatas I really dislike as well; I find op.22 very uninteresting and I always turn off op.110 whenever I hear it... Must be my bad taste!

[Michael]

Originally posted by Raro:

I must say, there are sonatas I really dislike as well; I find op.22 very uninteresting and I always turn off op.110 whenever I hear it... Must be my bad taste!

Please, please don't give up on Op. 22! It can sound rather dry and unmelodic if badly played but it's a prime example of Beethoven making a silk purse out of a sow's ear. I would place it in my top five Beethoven sonatas. He was very pleased with it himself.

Michael

[Raro]

Originally posted by Michael:
Please, please don't give up on Op. 22! It can sound rather dry and unmelodic if badly played but it's a prime example of Beethoven making a silk purse out of a sow's ear. I would place it in my top five Beethoven sonatas. He was very pleased with it himself.

Michael

I'll give it another try!