What are your 5 least favorite Beethoven piano sonatas?

Here's my list:
Op. 14 No. 1
Op. 14 No. 2
Op. 31 No. 1
Op. 49 No. 1
Op. 54

Klaus

There aren't many I don't like. Though I could have been put off certain ones by bad performances, had I only heard certain recordings etc.

Actually, there are none that I don't like; my least favourite literally would be only "least favourite".

Op.2 No.1
Op.10 No.2
Op.49 No.1 (hardly a sonata though really)
Op.49 (I quite like it but rarely listen to it)
Op.90 (I've actually played this, but I've gone off it.)

2 sonatas that I liked at first but never care to hear these days:
pathetique
waldstein

I would have to say Hammerklavier. It's all banging, and as your teacher says, banging is bad.

Ha! The Hammerklavier is only all banging when it is played that way. I'm considering taking it on next.

Oh, there aren't any Beethoven sonatas that are my least favorite. I enjoy all of them for their own merits.

I get so thoroughly sick of hearing the first movement of the moonlight sonata! agh! *plugs ears* I have a recording of it by Kempff, which is lovely, but goodness... too many students try to play it, and they don't do overly well and it's boring as all get out!

My teacher refuses to teach Pathetique and Moonlight anymore. He says - with a tinge of disappointment in Beethoven =) - that the Moonlight 3rd movement is basically an arpeggio etude.

Op. 49 No. 1

Thats it. Oh and the Pathetique.

Hammerklavier and the Waldstein. Could never get into those two. Even if the best pianist in the world played those I'd still say the samething. And I used to love Pathetique, but now it bores me a bit. It has sentimental value for me though.

You guys are crazy. Hammerklavier rocks

op.49 no.2
(i do like op.49 no.1!)

I don't particularly enjoy listening to these:

-Op. 49 No. 2 (and probably No. 1, too)
-Op. 14 No. 1 (the G major one)
-Op. 10 No. 1 (I don't understand why it's so popular)
-Op. 27 No. 2 (This one is just so "weird")

I just cannot get into the Waldstein. Apart from this one, I like every single sonata Beethoven wrote, although I don't listen to the overplayed ones (op.13, 27 no.2, op. 57...) anymore. Just bored.

Yeah, the Waldstein isn't quite my bag of tea either. I don't know why......all of the GOOD pianists and scholars love it, so I seem rather pressured to follow suit, but I really can't like it/understand it/whatever.

The Pathetique has, for some reason, always annoyed me. Even when I didn't know that it's so popular. Same with the op. 110.

Besides that, I can listen to pretty much any one and enjoy it, but Beethoven sonatas in general are not exactly my *favorite* things to hear...

Hammerklavier is never about banging unless you never listened to it carefully, and all Beethoven sonatas are not supposed to be banging at all. to look for such banging pieces, one has to look into the modern music collections (john cage or similar). i don't know if any of you still remember not long ago, a member was saying in his post that he was banging through moonlight 1st movement, which was just so terrible!

My preference for Beethoven's sonatas varies with the time of day. However, the first one in C major (op 2 no 3) is probably the one I like the least, most of the time. The Scherzo-Trio of that sonata is ok though.

Oddly enough, op.2 no.3 is among my favourites.

OMG LOL ROFL LIEK I NO U HAX IT LOL ROFL STFU@!@!1one1!!!eleven!!!1

LOL yu0 guY5z r n00bs. m00n1light 15 73h suXX0r5z

Anyone else had enough of the L33t speak?

Anyway, back on topic:

I guess the one I like least would be Op.79. I learned it when I was 12, and I played it SO much. Same with thing with Mozart K331 - severely over-played.

I am going to have to agree with Ryan though, I enjoy each based on their own perfections and imperfections. Although there are some I prefer over others at times, depending on what I want to play/listen to.

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Yeah, it's interesting how different musical preference can be.

I'm quite fond of at least 4 out of the 5 sonatas the original poster mentioned, especially op54.

l0l m0z4r7 w4s t3h 1337x0rz 1n 1337 5p33k.

Have you heard Gould's recording of the K331?

(L33t sucks it's so lame it's not even stylish....)

i don't like the second sonata.

on the other hand my favorite one it's the waldstein... not doubt on it.

Again, I LOVE Op. 54. I prefer it to Op. 53.

Pointless but quite interesting poll Mine's a bit similar to that of the original poster.

Op 49#2
Op 10#2
Op 14#1
Op 14#2
Op 31#3

I like the rest except final rondos of Op 2#2, Op 10#3, Op 22 and Op 31#1...

I don't particularly enjoy of Op. 49 No. 1 and op.2 no.3.
Unfortunately, the first movement of the moonlight sonata has been incredibly over played as well. It was one of the first Beethoven sonatas that I learned to play. I still have a fondness for it. :p

Doesn't mean it's a bad piece.

No offense intended. I love that sonata, but I played it too much.

op.57 Appassionata (No.23 in F-). Wonderful

Least favorite: Opus 10 Number 2.

I played this one. It's certainly one of the easiest. Beethoven also arranged it for String Quartet which gives a lot of insight on it. It really needs a very strong dynamic range, dramatic decrescendos and the melodies have to be voiced much louder than the other parts to work. Still there are too many other sonatas way better than this one.

Another one that I'm working on I like but it's still in the least favorite category: Op 2 No 3.

It's too long--a full half an hour or more in many recordings! The second movement is nice but goes on forever, the first movement repeats way too much, the third movement is short and concise with a dramatic Trio, but then the last movement is repetitive again. It's very orchestral and has to be played that way or it's very boring. Much of this one was one of Beethoven's very early String Quartets; a lot of that kind of distinct sonority is difficult to translate onto the piano.

As a whole though, the sonatas are some of the most thoroughly enjoyable music in the repertoire. Some just are forgettable compared to the best of them though.

I love them all. So I can't reply.

I've sometimes heard the complaint that beethoven's rondo finales are too repetitive and the rondo themes too long. I've never held that opinion and several of his rondos are my favorite movements in the sonatas (love op22's finale). What I do think is that his allegretto finales are sometimes played way too slowly (like andante, when allegretto is really 'rather fast') to the extent that they drag and do become boring.

least fave


op14 no 1
op 31 no 1
op 49
op2 no 2

Op. 14 No.2 in G
However, the second movement is almost amusing.

Op. 13 in c minor is too cliche.

The first movement of Op. 27 no. 1 is irritating to me, but I enjoy the other movements (the third mov't is especially nice as a slow movement).

Op. 79 sounds childish in comparison to the rest of his Sonatas.

hmmm.. that's all that come to mind, really. I don't not appreciate any of the above, Beethoven was a genius.

I don't seem to like Op. 111 as much as most people. Not sure why, I've heard plenty of excellent performances and understand the work in its historical context, but it just doesn't grab me as much as it seems to grab others.