Greatest Sonatas ever written?

[liszt-and-the-galops]

What are everyone's thoughts on the "greatest" piano sonatas? ("Greatest" meaning whatever you want it to mean -- favorite, most influential, most monumental, most innovative, most challenging, etc.)

I tried to include a lot of potentially decently popular choices in the poll, though obviously it's influenced by my personal opinions and I undoubtedly missed some altogether. If there are some sonatas that you think should be added, feel free to point them out!

Also, here are some recordings of some of the lesser-known sonatas on the poll above:
Alkan - Op. 33 "Les Quatre Âges" (Ronald Smith)

Alkan - Op. 61 Sonatine (Vincenzo Maltempo)

Czerny - Op. 268 Sonata no. 10 (Martin Jones)

(*Jones refuses to play in-tempo, lol; the correct tempos for the movements are:
mvt. 1: 1.25x faster than the video
mvt. 2: .75x
mvt. 3: 1.15x
mvt. 4: 1.5x, though probably impossible at this tempo)

Medtner - Op. 25 no. 2 "Night Wind Sonata" (Severin Von Eckardstein)

Personally:
1. Alkan - Op. 33 "Les Quatre Âges"
2. Medtner - Op. 25 no. 2 "Night Wind Sonata"
The next three in no particular order:
Scriabin - Sonata no. 5
Beethoven - Op. 106 Sonata no. 29 "Hammerklavier"
Liszt - S. 178 Sonata in B Minor

[kosulin]

The list feels fragmentary.
Why are Prokofiev # 2 and 3 not in the list?
Why is Mozart omitted, where are Haydn, Schumann, Stravinsky, etc.? So many great composers are absent.
I might vote if you asked for best sonatas by composer, this would make some sense for me.
Comparing Mozart to Chopin to Stravinsky makes zero sense IMHO.

[liszt-and-the-galops]

Why are Prokofiev # 2 and 3 not in the list?
Why is Mozart omitted, where are Haydn, Schumann, Stravinsky, etc.? So many great composers are absent.

Wasn't aware that Stravinsky even wrote a piano sonata, and for the rest of them it was that I'd never seen anyone describing those sonatas as among the very best. The ones in the poll are the ones that I most often see described as among the best sonatas ever written for piano, along with three that I personally think are at least in the mix (the two Alkans and the Czerny).

[thorn]

The list feels fragmentary.
Why are Prokofiev # 2 and 3 not in the list?
Why is Mozart omitted, where are Haydn, Schumann, Stravinsky, etc.? So many great composers are absent.
I might vote if you asked for best sonatas by composer, this would make some sense for me.
Comparing Mozart to Chopin to Stravinsky makes zero sense IMHO.

I agree. There's too much repertoire for this to fit into a single neat little poll, it'd need something on the scale of your MM stuff to fully capture the range out there. Don't get me wrong, after going to all that effort you'd still most likely end up with a final between Beethoven and Liszt ><

I feel some of these pieces like the Alkan need a separate underrated/obscure sonata thread. One of my favourite lesser known sonatas is Janacek's

i=zgNUpOE9CqwjM9OP

[dizzyfingers]

The list feels fragmentary.
Why are Prokofiev # 2 and 3 not in the list?
Why is Mozart omitted, where are Haydn, Schumann, Stravinsky, etc.? So many great composers are absent.
I might vote if you asked for best sonatas by composer, this would make some sense for me.
Comparing Mozart to Chopin to Stravinsky makes zero sense IMHO.

Yes, I immediately started thinking about what's missing as well.  Hard not to.
Perhaps 4 groups would work well:
* Classical - up to Beethoven op 13 (don't forget Clementi, Scarlatti, CPE Bach)
* Late Classical / Early Romantic - starting with middle Beethoven, Schubert, Hummel
* Romantic
* Modern

Also I think it's interesting to find out what people find "the best" from what they have played as well what they have listened to.

[benbspiano]

Ornstein Sonata 4 and Scriabin 4?

[gasplamey]

Nice joke. I actually laufghed at "Sorabji Sonata 5".
Clearlys ur taste is awqfull tho. That Aslkan is the worst, most poorly comsposed sonata Iv'e ever headr.

[liszt-and-the-galops]

That Aslkan is the worst, most poorly comsposed sonata Iv'e ever headr.[/font]

What makes you say that?

Also, the Sorabji wasn't a joke; just because you don't understand or "get" the music immediately doesn't mean that it's bad.