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All the recent Beethoven threads have got me thinking: which of the late Beethoven sonatas (Op. 101 onwards) is the most performed?
During my undergrad and grad school days (Oberlin Conservatory and Indiana U. respectively) it seems like many of the students were flocking to perform Op. 109 -- which annoyed me a little because of all the late Beethoven sonatas Op. 109 is (IMO) the one that is most easily damaged by performance if the interpretation is not thoroughly worked out (such as matters of tempo and tempo relationships, for example).
I have a sneaking suspicion that amongst professional concert artists it is Op. 110 that is most often performed, but that is only a guess since I am now stuck in a country of Philistines with a very limited art music scene.
So, let's hear from the rest of you -- most perfomed late Beethoven sonata?

I keep hearing sonata no 30 and 31. My favorite is the last sonata. from the late sonatas.

I agree, I hear no. 30 and 31 performed.

No. 32 is my favorite as well - especially the last movement.

Probably Op.110 is the most frequently performed.

Excuse my language, but Beethoven is just a badass with his sonatas. Well most things he wrote.

To me, Op. 110 seems like it is played the most out of the last three sonatas.

Oh, keep in mind that I'm thinking of the conventional categorization of Op. 101 onwards as "late sonatas".
Seems like my suspicion of Op. 110 is being confirmed...

any one of those, except 106.

I am a Sophomore at Indiana University and I would have to say that Op. 109 is performed the most out of all the late Beethoven Sonatas. Although I did see a graduate student's recital flyer that did include Op. 111 which took me a little by surprise. Of course another graduate student is performing the Goldberg variations, so I shouldn't be too surprised at anything repertoire wise I guess.

Funny, I always thought op. 106 was overplayed.

Is it just too hard to be that widely performed?

Op. 106 makes tremendous demands not only on the performer, but on the listener as well. It is not a piece that can be listened to casually, and many people in an audience may not get as much out of it as some of the more accessible sonatas. I think that might be one reason it isn't seen on too many programs.

Funny, I listen to it causally all the time...

110 is simply performed the most because it is the best one

It's something that goes in cycles. Over the years, I've noticed that certain pieces are "in vogue" at certain times. One year, pianists will be fascinated by 109, other years, they lean towards 111. The same seems to be true for late Schubert. Some years, 959 is the one to do; other years, 960.

Jim:
110 is simply performed the most because it is the best one

That's the answer I like the best

-Michael B.

I thought it was op. 109.

I guess it just depends on what the fashion is in whatever area you live in.

For those of you who guessed it is op. 110: good guess!

From my library:

Op. 101 - 19 recordings
Op. 106 - 24 "
Op. 109 - 24 "
Op. 110 - 26 "
Op. 111 - 23 "

Why so many? I have the complete Philips Great Pianists of the 20th Century series, 200 CD's, and many of them are represented by performances of these last five sonatas, in addition to the "Pathétique" (19), "Moonlight" (18), "Tempest" (21), "Waldstein" (19), "Appassionata" (23), and "Les Adieux" (17).

(I should point out that nearly half of these recordings (9) come from compete sets of the sonatas.) (Yes, Annie Fischer and Schnabel are still the best, IMO.)

Well, you asked!

Cheers,

Craig

I've seen 106 performed live, but I hear it's a very rare occurence.

Stupendously difficult, and I got very bored during the slow movement.

Four times, at least; once by Peter Serkin (flailing away at breakneck speed in the fugue*), once by William Eddins (CD is HERE. ), once by Garrick Ohlsson (I think), and once by Mitsuo Uchida (who had the temerity to take the first chord of the first movement with her right hand!) I don't think I'll hear it the way I'd like it until I play it myself (and if that isn't a prescription for an unsatisfied musical life, I don't know what is).

*He seems to feel obligated to honor Beethoven's metronome markings.

And as to how often these are played, this is a listing of the number of recordings of each (from arkivmusic[dot]com). Many of the listings are duplications (e.g., three pressings of Solomon's recording of Op. 106)




Sonata for Piano no 28 in A major, Op. 101 (99)
Sonata for Piano no 29 in B flat major, Op. 106 "Hammerklavier" (90)
Sonata for Piano no 30 in E major, Op. 109 (127)
Sonata for Piano no 31 in A flat major, Op. 110 (128)
Sonata for Piano no 32 in C minor, Op. 111 (139)

I think Arkivmusic lists only recordings that are in-print.