Prokofiev sonatas

[shatteringpulse]

Which Prokofiev sonata is best to learn first? Which is the greatest?

Is the first one worth adding to one's repertoire?

[dinosaurtales]

Well, No. 1 & 3 are both single-movement sonatas, and don't get played that much.  My teacher doesn't think they are worth much time, and I don't really like them much either.  

Number 2 (which is what it sounds like when I play it! yuk) is very nice, playable, and is a good one for advanced students.  It was one of Prokofiev's *student* works, so is a bit *lighter* than his later sonatas, which, although wonderful, are bigger and *serious*.

Number 7 is the most famous one, primarily because of the 3rd movement, which is a total riot, but HARD, mostly in 7 and it's like a jazz piece - really cool.  It gets played a lot, though, as well as number 2 does.

Numbers 7, 8, and 9 are called the war sonatas - why? hm.. Anyway, they are all difficult - Prokofiev wrote all of his sonatas for serious pianists.  

There are two verisons of 5 - he went back later and made some changes, which I have not waded through.

numbers 4 and 6 are nice, too, and not as popular.  

Let us all know which you pick!

[eddie92099]

A slight correction Dinosaurtales, numbers 6, 7 and 8 are the War Sonatas - the reason for their name is simply they were written during the war. Aside from these, for they are all very demanding, the 3rd sonata is an extremely good piece to have in your repertoire (sorry to disagree with your teacher Dinosaurtales!),
Ed

[Hmoll]

#3 is a great piece, and well worth studying. Good audition piece, too.
#1 is in a more romantic style, and does not show his compositional style as fully developed.
IMO, by the second sonata, Prokofiev's style of writing for the piano was pretty much developed.
#4, and #5 are probably the least played, but are worth looking at.
#6-#8, as Ed said, are the so called "War Sonatas."

[steinway88]

I prefer the second in dminor. The are 4 movements and the hardest movement I would think is the 4th  movement. If you can play it up to speed it sounds like your playing two melodys at the same time.

[Rach3]

The fifth and ninth are both in C major and both quite beautiful, not as difficult as the other ones including the non-war sonatas. Three is interesting, has idiomatic movement-like sections but it is continuous. The sixth is definitely and unmistakably a war sonata, I am in the process of absorbing its notes by reverse osmosis (it's very difficult, harder to work on than Rach 3). Seven of course is famous and also extremely difficult, I am not qualified to say which is worse. I'm unfamiliar with eight.

[dinosaurtales]

Oops!  Thanks for the correction.  I knew that - D-oh!

Min