your favourite beethoven sonatas and why?

[matt_haley]

I would like to know everyones 5 favourite sonatas of ludwig van beethoven, in my opinion -

the pastoral - for the inner beauty the piece holds in    the first and final movement, with a dark and mysterious 2nd movement followed by a short sherzo.

the pathetique- the sudden cminor chord starting the grave,which rushes into a fantastic allegro con molto with a heavy tremelo in the bass,difficult to play well,then the ever famous andante cantabile and a cracking third movement which somewhat portryas the style of mozart.

op 109 in E- a dreamy first movement of vivace ma non troppo with a lovely singing tone which is followed by a rushing prestissimo. a final movement of six variations which shows off all the colours of many of his earlier works.

appasionsonata- what a master peice maybe suffers from what they say as being very pianistic in tradition, allegro assai in my opinion puts across a very depressing picture put is a fantastic movement with precise trills playing itself in two different keys,
adante con moto looked at as being not great in difficulty but one would have to exact every detail written its depth.then one of the most outstanding movements written the allegro ma non troppo which i cannot play and will not attempt untill i feel ready.again every detail needs to grap the audience especially the melody which changes hand occasionaly. a heavy movement which runs to a final presto staccato prior to the final fminor arpeggios which follow to the deep awaited final chords.  i would love to hear from you who can play the piece and know it well.

my favourie sonata  the tempest- an amazing first movement which gradually buils up to a dreamy singing tone in the right hand which continually reaches a high crescendo, the middle movement quite dull as one first listens but is rich in texture and the true beauty can be heard after a while, then follows the almost magical third movement again which enables you this dreamy feeling which comes and goes as the piece goes on, what a spectacular version from alfred brendal.

Thanks for reading my favourite sonatas, id love to hear all of yours, as beethoven was such a great composer and his sonatas have made so many of us smile.

Also if anyone has an opinion on on my favourite sonata outside beethoven which is chopins sonata no 3 in bminor- an array of chopins smaller peices shows in the allegro maestro,followed by an the fast flowing eflat sherzo a melodic 3rd movement whci shows two colours to the piece and that amazing presto ma non tanto,one of my favourite movements ever heard especially after seeing evgeny kissin perform it at the royal albert hall, your opinions would be greatly appreciated

thank you all     Matt Haley   im 18, and new to the forum thanks

[liszmaninopin]

My favorite five, not necessarily in order:

op. 111:  An aggressive, powerful first movement with much passion and what is to me a memorable theme balances out a truly profound second movement, also with a fine melody.

op. 101:  The opening theme is to me, a very deep one, followed by livelier sections that are fun, yet still emotionally intense.

Pathetique:  I know it's overplayed, but it got that way because it deserves to be, in my opinion.  I agree with matt_haley here, about how great the various movements are.  I have moved people to tears in the past playing the cantabile.

Appassionata:  Another overplayed one, but it's level of energy is tremendous-the passion, the tragedy.  All of these make the appassionata great.

Op. 7:  It's hard to pin down exactly why, but I find this piece particularly affecting.

[faulty_damper]

I've thought of this question just last night.  The problem with saying one is a favourite is that it ignores the beauty of the others.

But my favourite is the "Moonlight".  It's perhaps the least "classical" of all of his sonatas.  Perhaps this one reason why I like it so much.  It's also a misleading sonata: slow 1st, minuet 2nd, presto 3rd.  You are lulled into a false sense of security with the first movement, then the minuet comes and it's okay, but then the 3rd pops in and holy cow dung!  Hold onto your bench!

Then there are the Waldstein, Appasionata, Op.111 and other late period sonatas.  I don't know why I don't like these sonatas more than Op27-2.

[JK]

op.111 in cm for its' emotion and the religious beauty of the last movement,

op.101 in A for its' beautiful and "sunny" first movement as well as its' interesting use of the sonata structure incorperating the sonata as a whole piece rather than single movements.

op'109 in E for its' wonderful theme and variations.

op.10 in F because it was the first Beethoven sonata I learnt and its' a bit different!

Waldstein because it has a wonderful last movement and octave glissandi!!

[Goldberg]

Listed chronologically:
Op. 7 for its sheer ingenuity at the time. Little in transcendentalism on the piano had been displayed earlier in any music, and here Beethoven took the instrument and applied an almost Symphonic nature to it. Perhaps he had great expectations for the piano (which he was never satisfied with, he confessed, near the end of his life). To me it's a ground-breaking sonata, before its time, that possibly helped to open Beethoven's eyes to see greater things in the future.
Op. 10 no. 1 For its almost simple fury and great third movement.
Op. 26 (possibly my no. 1 fave) A brilliant sonata in 4 movements which seems to me to be a dress rehearsal for the great 109, but with an ingenius funeral march added in. The variations are based on one of the loveliest tunes I have ever heard, slightly reminiscent of Mozart's K.331 (mentioned specifically because of its own variations form in the first movement). The scherzo is catchy, the funeral march one of the best ever, and the ending is just marvelous and carefree as if the mournful funeral should just be forgotten and bygones be bygones.
Op. 27 no. 1 For its strange, experimental form (for the time) and inspiring nature. The first and second movements are pure magic and intrigue while the third movement is relaxed and lyrical. Finally, the fourth movement is full of the sort of power and energy only Beethoven could provide. Brilliant stuff!
Op. 109 Must be mentioned for its absolutley gorgeous set of variations on its own. There is unspeakable genius in this sonata.
Two others I'd like to acknoweldge as well are the op. 79 which, to me, is a superb example of Beethoven's humour, and the op. 111, of which the second movement is one of the most special in the whole of piano literature. The variations will swoop you away into a blissful afterlife as you transcend the world around you.

[leyton]

I don't know that many of them, I'm not very well-versed in his piano sonatas... that said, I love the 3d movement of the Tempest.  The best parts, to me, are where the left hand takes up the theme fortissimo (in something like c minor) and then near the end, when IIRC you move into the coda.  The piano starts getting into chords that are a bit funky, and then bang!  You're in the main theme again, with that A up top!

[goalevan]

I haven't had a chance to listen to all of the movements of many of beethoven's sonatas but I'll tell you the favorites of what I've heard.

Moonlight - really enjoyed learning the first movement. third movement I would love to learn in the future as well.

Pathetique - every movement (learning Adagio Cantabile right now, I'm sure I'll learn Grave in the not so far future.)

Appassionata, until just recently I had only heard the first movement - I have to say, the third movement is absolutely incredible. I've had it on repeat for 5 days. I'll play this piece some day. some day.

I like Tempest I think it's the first movement also.

[Saturn]

In addition to the ones mentioned, I love the powerful Hammerklavier, Op. 106.

I also have a strange liking for Op. 54, a 2 movement sonata in F.  It's a light, delightful sonata, pretty much the opposite of dramatic pieces like the appassionata.

- Saturn

[Irock1ce]

Without a doubt my favorite one is the Waldstein. Its just so amazing with its chords and i just cant stop listening to it!

[Antnee]

I just listened to Op.109 for the first time a couple of nights ago, and it brought tears to my eyes. It is one of his best sonatas and the last movement is incredibly beautiful. I swear Beethoven gets better and better with each listen!

[Ecthelion]

I think every sonata is very beautiful! Particularly I like moonlight, tempest, appassionata, op. 109, op. 110, op. 111 and les adieux!

kind regards,

ecthelion

[goalevan]

I just got Brendel's full beethoven sonatas and I've been listening to a lot of them. I just heard Waldstein, third movement is incredible

[Saturn]

I just got Brendel's full beethoven sonatas and I've been listening to a lot of them. I just heard Waldstein, third movement is incredible

He recorded the cycle of Beethoven sonatas around three (maybe more) times.  Which one did you get?

I got the early one on Vox, in large part because of the price ($40 for the entire 8-cd set!), and it's very good.

- Saturn

[goalevan]

It says 1970-1977, it may be the same one you've got

anyways I like it alot so far. such an amazing set of pieces - I can't wait to listen to the rest

[Saturn]

It says 1970-1977, it may be the same one you've got

anyways I like it alot so far. such an amazing set of pieces - I can't wait to listen to the rest

Nope, it's not the one I have.  The one I have was recorded in the 60s.  The one made in the 70s (the one you own) is on Phillips and is his second recording of the full cycle.  I haven't heard that one yet.

Anyway, yes, they're all wonderful pieces.  There are a lot of great works there besides the famous ones (the ones with names).

- Saturn

[goalevan]

Yes I've definately noticed that, I've discovered some amazing pieces that I probably would have never heard otherwise, hopefully I'll have time to listen to all 100+ before too long

Edit: I'm liking the Die Jagt sonata, especially the second movement, why have I never heard of this before?

[goalevan]

I really like Sonata No. 13 in e flat major Op. 27 No. 1 now. And I keep listening to Sonata No. 18 in e flat major Op. 31 No. 3 "Die Jagt"

I especially love from Op.27-1 the first and second movements. from Op.31-3 the second and third movements.

Also Op. 27 No. 1 I'm liking a lot.

[belvoce]

Op. 2 no. 1 in F minor.  1st movement-Wonderful themes and intense energy. 2nd movement- beutiful and graceful phrases.

[goalevan]

Op. 110 first movement this is one of the most beautiful things ive ever heard.

[tickledivory]

I've been playing Beethoven sonatas since I was fifteen. That was thirty four years ago. It's really hard to pick favorites because each one is a mirror of his soul.

One thing I've noticed more and more lately, is the organic way his themes flow from one movement to the next. Take the moonlight sonata for example:

That simple, poignant, triplet arpeggio of the first movement cuts loose and becomes the wild theme of the last movement.. Also, the sweet, open chords of the second movement  return as a passionate plea In the last movement--at measures 42 and 136.

There is something very primal and universal about  Beethoven's music. It's about our life. It's about struggling and overcoming the stuff life throws at us.

That's a good thing, because when I play some of his sonatas, you can really hear me struggle!

[goalevan]

movement of the day Appassionata 2nd movement, god i love it

[LiszTMaN]

HAVE YOU PEOPLE NEVER HEARD OF

BEETHOVEN'S SONATA OP. 106 (HAMMERKLAVIER)

I have spent 2 years learning this piece and have learned it very well and place 1st price in two Beethoven Sonata Competitions. WHy doesn't anyone like this sonata.

[goalevan]

I'm not feelin Hammerklavier for some reason. I can appreciate technical difficulty but i can't get into the melody

i'll have to give it a few more listens and see what I think

[liszmaninopin]

I used to not appreciate the Hammerklavier, but now, I love it more and more the more I listen to it.  It's really a great piece, but it took some warming up to.

[goalevan]

that's how almost all of the sonata's i've heard so far are, some take longer to warm up than others though.

i'm sure hammerklavier will be no different

[Tsegamla]

Moonlight and Pathetique.  I like all of Moonlight, but of Pathetique I've only heard one complete movement.  I like the movement I heard more than the first two movements of Moonlight, though.  But all of Moonlight is still fantastic.

[Ecthelion]

The third movement of moonlight is also very nice. I think it's quite similar to the third movement of appassionata (not in technical level  , but they're both really fast and powerful, especially at the end).

ecthelion

[goalevan]

which movement did you hear of Pathetique? I bet it was the slower movement, that's one of the most popular piano pieces around, the first movement is amazing too, you should give the rest of the sonata a listen.