Hardest Beethoven Sonata (minus Waldstein, Appasionata, Hammerklavier, Op. 111)

[lisztisforkids]

Ummm...

[phil13]

I do believe these topics would be MUCH better if someone would cut out the "easier half"- those that are OBVIOUSLY not the hardest. Take the Op.2 sonatas, Pathetique, Moonlight, Pastorale, Op.10, 14, 49, and 78 out, at the very least.

Op.101 gets my vote.

Phil

[lisztisforkids]

I do believe these topics would be MUCH better if someone would cut out the "easier half"- those that are OBVIOUSLY not the hardest. Take the Op.2 sonatas, Pathetique, Moonlight, Pastorale, Op.10, 14, 49, and 78 out, at the very least.

Op.101 gets my vote.

Phil

  Ehh, dont really feel like it. More importantly I cut out the most obviuosly difficult.

[tyler_johnson]

opus 111, so i won't vote

[lisztisforkids]

opus 111, so i won't vote

 You missed the whole point of this thread.

[jre58591]

im kinda sick of these "hardst pieces, best pianists" threads, but heh, it keeps me mildly informed. hammerklavier gets my vote, even though its not there.

[debussy symbolism]

I don't mean to sound offensive, but why post these vapid threads. If one really wants to know which sonata is the hardest, or easiest, then one should play them, not incessantly ask of other's opinions. What's hard for some is easy for others, and vice versa. I don't mean to sound rude.

[lisztisforkids]

You people are pissing me off. Just a few weeks ago there was an identical thread, accept all of the sonatas were in the pole. The 4 sonatas I took out of this pole recieved the overwhelming majority, and there were many comments that the pole would be more interesting if these sonatas were taken out. So I took them out.

 You people are being stupid for voting for something thats not on the pole. Thats why this pole was created. 

I don't mean to sound offensive, but why post these vapid threads. If one really wants to know which sonata is the hardest, or easiest, then one should play them, not incessantly ask of other's opinions. What's hard for some is easy for others, and vice versa. I don't mean to sound rude.

 

 I do not have suffecient talent to play all 32 sonatas at being only 18. If you disagree with these kind of threads, than you should just not post on it. Make a different thread or something...

[Kassaa]

I do believe these topics would be MUCH better if someone would cut out the "easier half"- those that are OBVIOUSLY not the hardest. Take the Op.2 sonatas, Pathetique, Moonlight, Pastorale, Op.10, 14, 49, and 78 out, at the very least.

Op.101 gets my vote.

Phil

Randomly, first movement pastorale is a pregnant dog for getting the perfect sound, and I find it more difficult than the second Liszt Ballade.

[debussy symbolism]

It doesn't really matter if one is still not capable of playing the sonatas. When one does achieve the particular pieces, it is possible that what others said as hard will be easy. I am not against these threads, I just think that they are not worth posting.

[debussy symbolism]

I would also like to add that it is much better to rely on your own search for truth, than rely on others. Let's say that most agree on a particular sonata being the most difficult. Can you really be sure? This is like asking, "what's the meaning of life?". No one can tell you an exactly true answer. On of the things about growing is relying on yourself and not others.

[chocolatedog]

You people are pissing me off. Just a few weeks ago there was an identical thread, accept all of the sonatas were in the pole. The 4 sonatas I took out of this pole recieved the overwhelming majority, and there were many comments that the pole would be more interesting if these sonatas were taken out. So I took them out.

 You people are being stupid for voting for something thats not on the pole. Thats why this pole was created. 
 

 I do not have suffecient talent to play all 32 sonatas at being only 18. If you disagree with these kind of threads, than you should just not post on it. Make a different thread or something...

Don't you mean "poll" ?  Otherwise you're talking about big sticks......... 

[mike_lang]

I would also like to add that it is much better to rely on your own search for truth, than rely on others. Let's say that most agree on a particular sonata being the most difficult. Can you really be sure? This is like asking, "what's the meaning of life?". No one can tell you an exactly true answer. On of the things about growing is relying on yourself and not others.

You know, these polls are just for fun.  If you are against them, just refrain from posting.  The only reason that there is a message board attached to this poll is because there is no other option.

ML

[pianowelsh]

In one sense it is very true the difficulty as with the chop etudes poll - will very much depend upon whose playing them. Therefore I must ask you a question is the reason for this poll because you yourself are thinking ahead to structure a 'learning plan' for your repertoire. if so ... to briefly list some of your strengths and some of the repertoire you are currently learning would be helpfull for people and they can then give a more informative answer and hopefully get a little less annoyed??!  I wont vote at the moment, but I have to say after the 3 mentioned sonatas I think that the Les Adieux op81a, op101, 109, 110  are difficult sonatas either because of specific technical features or simply because of their scale and compositional complexity.  These are among my favourite beethoven sonatas. I have to say though I do disagree with whoever it was who said to ignore the op2 set! The Amajor is really quite a beast and the early Cmajor sonata is no mean feat technically either - ive reccently heard both performed by postgraduate students at music college and they broke sweat in the run up to the exams so dont knock these pieces to 'beginner level' - they are NOT! Also the fantastic Dmajor op10/3 is a joy of a sonata. Without doubt it is my favourite early sonata so poised and full of humour in the first mvt and its rather challenging in the sense of scale too - its long.  I hope this has given you a few things to mull over and although you might not be upto playing some of these pieces yet why not have a bash at sightreading through them. Or as I call it exploring. It dosent matter if you make mistakes or get lost along the way all good explorers get lost sometimes. Seriously though you will learn a lot about them just by having a go.

[phil13]

Randomly, first movement pastorale is a pregnant dog for getting the perfect sound, and I find it more difficult than the second Liszt Ballade.

Having not played the piece myself (though I plan to) I obviously cannot say the same without sounding unfounded.

However, the technical difficulties present in some of the others, such as Op.7, Op.101, Op.109, and Op.110 (as played by others, again not myself) can unquestionably give them a higher ranking than Pastorale.

Pastorale is difficult, but overall there are much harder sonatas in Beethoven's set.

The obviously easier sonatas are just senseless filler. Whenever these polls come up, you will see the same set of sonatas- Opp. 7, 53, 57, 101, 106, 109, 110, 111- take almost every single vote, while the rest of them read "0...0...0...0...0...okay, 1 vote for that beginner who thinks Moonlight's super-hard...1 vote for the guy who voted Op.49 No.2 just to be stupid...0...0."

It's pointless. That's all I'm saying.

Phil

[rob47]

I do believe these topics would be MUCH better if someone would cut out the "easier half"- those that are OBVIOUSLY not the hardest. Take the Op.2 sonatas, Pathetique, Moonlight, Pastorale, Op.10, 14, 49, and 78 out, at the very least.

op.2 number 3 is the hardest out of all those ones you mentioned though. also what about op. 90? 2 mvts, sum tricky stuff but quite abit easier than op. 2 #3 also.

[soliloquy]

Randomly 109 is harder than 111.

[presto agitato]

Op 2-3 gets my vote.

[pianiststrongbad]

Well, I can only comment on which ones I've performed and beetween all of them I still find the Opus 7 (the outer movements) to be a real difficulty.

[arensky]

Op. 101, and the poll results indicate the same.

[felipe717]

Appassionata and Waldstein aren't part of the three hardests... I guess that the second hardest (after Hammerklavier) is Op.109... Hans Bulow said that.

[pianoplayjl]

Any of the op 100+ sonatas are difficult. op101 gets my vote, followed by op109 and op110 followed by op90. Personally I find the last period of Beethoven music to be the most difficult.

JL

[williampiano]

Haha! Two people really voted for op. 49 no. 2? wow.

Edit:
I see some people saying op. 2 no. 3 is the hardest. I feel honored, as my teacher suggested I play that once. I wouldn't say that one is close to the hardest though... The later ones beat it by a mile (op. 90, 101, 109 etc.).

[pianoplayjl]

Hmmm perhaps they don't know much Beethoven music or they are only being sarcastic.

JL

[philb]

Op. 101 easily, Horrendously awkward. I would place it at the 3rd spot on the list of the hardest including 106 and 111.