Op.31 Sonatas

[verywellmister]

How do the Op.31 Beethoven Sonatas compare to each other?

I like them all and I would like learn one next year (I'm currently playing 2.2 in A major).

Op.31
1. G major
2. D minor (Tempest)
3. Eb major (Hunt)

Which one do you like the best and which one is hardest, easiest, etc?

[arensky]

I particularly enjoy these Sonatas, they're Beethoven in transition, very interesting. The G major isn't played a lot, it's underrated IMO. It and the Eb are overshadowed by the famous "Tempest", but the Eb gets more playtime than the G major, probably because it's more of a showpiece. The G major is very difficult, but not in an obvious way, which may be why it's neglected compared to the other two.

My favorite is the d minor, the "Tempest", actually my favorite of all 32 Beethoven Sonatas. I like the other two equally. In terms of difficulty, from hardest to easiest I woulld rate them....

1. #3 in Eb
2. #2 in G
3. #2 in d minor.

Check the difficulty ratings in the sheet music section here, they might differ from my opinion. Also I just played the "Tempest" so my opinion might be biased. After playing the 1st mvt. development of op.2 #2, there is nothing in these sonatas except the finale of op. 31 #3 that should scare you...

[verywellmister]

After playing the 1st mvt. development of op.2 #2, there is nothing in these sonatas except the finale of op. 31 #3 that should scare you...

So I've heard.

By the development, do you mean the leaps? (those are hard but I've pretty much got them now)

[florestan9]

So I've heard.

By the development, do you mean the leaps? (those are hard but I've pretty much got them now)

If by "leaps" you mean measures 83-84/87-88, these can be split between the hands.  The fast 16th note runs seem much more difficult to me (I'm learning this right now), but with very slow practice they aren't too bad.  I'm only partway through 2/2, but I've also played 31/3 and it seemed much more difficult than the first movement of 2/2.  The first and third movements of 31/3 aren't bad, the second is very awkward in places and is probably the hardest of the four IMO, and the fourth is great fun to play but also physically demanding.  Good luck if you go with it, it's a great piece.  I fell in love with it after hearing one of Rubinstein's recordings.

[maxy]

IMO

op 31#2 is the hardest to hold together
op 31#3 is hardest to play
op 31#1 is hardest to get into

I like them all.  As it was previously mentioned, I also believe that if you can currently play op 2#2, you may tackle any of the op 31 without too much worries.