Suggestions for beethoven sonata's?

[gn622]

hello everyone,

first of all, i want to say that i  do not intend to play beethoven sonata's any time soon, i just want to get to know beethoven pieces a little better.

my favorite composer is chopin and my favorite work are his scherzi, what beethoven sonata to you recommend me to listen to?

[mussorgsky]

My favourite Beethoven sonata is no.8 Pathetique. It's so beautiful and... it's a masterpiece! I'm learning it right now and I'm on my way of mastering the first part. I recomend it to everyone!

[j_menz]

ALL OF THEM

Sorry, I love Beethoven's sonatas.


Seriously, though, start with the favourites (moonlight, appassionata, pathetique, waldstein) and then move on to the late ones (Hammerklavier on).

[philb]

Search beyond the Popular ones (Op. 53, 57, 31 no. 2, 13, 27 no. 2, 106), and you can find some really amazing sonatas.

Op. 2, Op. 7, Op. 14, Op. 22 (One of my personal favorites), Op 54, etc.

The last 3 the piano sonatas (Op. 109, op. 110, op. 111) most would consider to the best sonatas of the 32, and maybe even the best piano sonatas ever written.

[49410enrique]

i think the above suggestion(s) are pretty spot on.  also, i would encourage you if you have never done so to give a listen and read through some of hummel's sonatas, they're super pretty as well.

his later ones in think point to the direction that beethoven was heading out, and this early is so charming,

2nd sonata

1st mvnt

2nd

3rd mvmtn

[lontano]

Hi. I haven't been around here in a while, but today I had a similar question. But first let me reply. It took me a long time to conclude that I am familiar (listening) with all 32 sonatas (yet still occasionally find myself discovering another), and I agree, they are ALL great works. Over the arc of time that he wrote these it seems to me that for many of them, they each take what he learned in the previous works and added new insight to the next, culminating with the final 3 masterpieces. All the suggestions here are valid.

I suggest purchasing a complete set. By whom, you may ask. I'd ask around. I have a complete set by Daniel Barenboim, which is fine, but if I were to invest in another it would take me quite a while to decide. Once you have the recordings, snatch up the complete scores from imslp.org (if you don't already have printed copies) and take a grand tour from the first to the last over whatever time-frame you care for. Or not. Good luck!

Now my question. I'm looking for advice on what Beethoven sonata movements are the easiest for a rank amateur to attempt. At the moment all I'm playing are the 1st 2 movements of #14 and are pretty well managed, and especially the first movement, which I believe is a funereal. I explore this solemn piece, which has nothing to do with "Moonlight", anew each time I play it.

So I'm looking for other movements that are relatively easy to read, i.e. not too fast nor full of "Beethoven trickery"; just something I might explore without needlessly stumbling about, and saving me from having to go through looking each one over until I find one. Probably from the first 3rd of the set, as I know the latter 2/3 better.

Thanks!