Beethoven sonata

[lukediv]

Hi guys,

Need some unput from some more experienced Beethoven specialists

I'm choosing pieces for an exam and theres a choice between Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn sonatas. I'm leaning towards beethoven because i have looked at the other two and they all seem to be faily short and i have to fill half an hour.

Because im not toooo familiar with his sonatas, except for the classic ones (moonlight etc), i was searching for one that is fairly underplayed 1) because i dont want to touch a classic and perform it sub par and get slammed by the markers and 2) i think its good to stand out from the crowd and play something they dont hear too often.

SO, after that long winded explanation here is the list of choices of his sonatas.

F minor no1
C minor no 5
F major no 6
c minor no 6
E major no 9
G major no 10
B flat major no 11
A flat major no 12
E Flat major no 13
D major no 15
F major no 22
F # major no 24

any input would be appreciated difficulty is not really an issue as im sure im going to struggle equally as much with any of them haha.

[sphince]

I'd say you should steer clear from the later one's(no.15 and after).They can be tough especially for someone who is not experienced with beethoven in general.My personal choice would be(mind you it is not in your list but I highly recommend it) the sonata op.10 no.3 in D major( in your list it would be no.7).Its VERY underplayed yet astonishingly wonderful.It has a Presto marked raging fast 1st mov.
,a 2nd move which in my opinion is just beautiful and lyrical( if you add some rubato in it everyone will mistake it for chopin no kidding ) a menuet/trio and the 4th cross-rythm funky 4th movement.
This sonata is one of the longest of the first book(approx. 35 min.) yet doable (Id say about as difficult as the pathetique or the no.12 )
So I highly recommend it to you.

Cheers and good luck with your exam

[lukediv]

thanks for your help

ill have a look for your D major and see where its placed in the syllabus.

Thanks again for your input

[scott13]

I would go for the 12th Sonata in Ab. Absolutely stunning sonata, and very underplayed.

A good recording of it :

[symphonicdance]

I am neither a professional nor a teacher, but please allow me to comment.

Most of your sonatas listed would not take 30 min., I wonder whether there's a need for you to fill up the remaining time with pieces of say baroque, romantic and 20th century periods.  If that is the case, then you may perhaps pick the Beethoven sonata that could best fit your whole programme.

It's not uncommon for an exam board to put in its syllabus that long repeats should be avoided.  Perhaps you can double check.

Last but not the least, I would suspect that the examiner would be very very familiar with all Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn sonatas any way.  And, perhaps it's best for you to pick one (amongst the "lesser played" ones) you feel most comfortable and confident.

Good luck.

[lukediv]

Hey scott,

i checked out the a flat one and its really nice, at at a good length as well. thanks for suggesting.

Symphonic: yeah repeats are not meant to be played and yes have to choose 4 pieces from roughly different periods. yeah i imagine they are familiar with most. i was looking for one that would run about 20 mins, because that fills enough time but also leaves a good amount to fit in the other works.