a downright good Beethoven sonata for me to play

[joeplaysthepiano]

hello everyone,

     I've been playing for a few years now, i'm 21, i'll be getting a job sometime soon.  Before that happens, I would like to play a Beethoven sonata.  I never was really into Beethoven until recently (listening to the appasionata helped the change).  I'm much more advanced as a pianist than you're probably thinking right now.  My recent repertoire includes:

Chopin- nocturnes- op.9 no.2, 3    op.48 no.1    post. c#minor
etudes- op.10 no.3, 12   op.25 no.1
various preludes and waltzes

Brahms- rhapsody in gminor

Liszt- liebestraume no.3

I think you get the idea

I'd like to play something like the appasionata, but I realize I'm not ready yet.  Is there one out there that is of the same intensity/beauty/whatever that is a little easier?  I appreciate the help, and I hope that I haven't offended anyone (I don't know why I would've offended anyone, but it seems to happen pretty easily here for some reason).

Joe

[steinwayguy]

Play the Appassionata.


Or, if you don't think you're "ready", Op. 2 No. 1, Op. 28, Op. 78 or Op. 90 would do well too.

[joeplaysthepiano]

you think so?

Do you think the Appasionata is a reachable goal at this point in my piano career?

[dinosaurtales]

Well, how can I say this.  Are you a disciplined person?  I mean, can you take on a project and over a looooong period of time work on it to see it come to fruition?  Or are you impatient, and after a while will give up and move on to something else?

If you are the former, then go for the appassionata.  I spent a LONG time learning it, but it was a very slow process to get it really down.  It's extremely long - sucker just goes on and on.  It's one of my favorite pieces of all time, though and well worth it. 

[aquariuswb]

I'll second SteinwayGuy in suggesting Op. 78 first. It's very short, very awesome, and while challenging, certainly not as difficult or as massive as Op. 57. It was actually Beethoven's favorite, if my memory serves me correctly.

I think if you can play Op. 78 well, you have a good shot at Op. 57. In the same vein as Op. 57 are Opp. 53 and 81a. They are all around the same difficulty, but if you haven't heard 53 (Waldstein) or 81a (Les Adieux), you will definitely enjoy them.

Good luck!

[Hmoll]

Try Op. 31#2 ("Tempest"). It has a lot of emotional content, and is easier than Op57.