Hi folks, I'm sitting here looking at the pages for Chopin's Sonata no3 Bminor...I was studying in a piano lounge yesterday and someone sat at the piano and began to play a piece by Schubert that I used to love. I think it was 946 no2 or something. I knew that when i got home I was going to download the sheet music to this and play it. Sadly, sheetmusic archive doesn't have that one. But while I was at it I decided to find some Chopin to play. I got two things that I intend to work on.
1) Prelude op45
2) Sonata no3 1st movement

I'm sure I can handle the Prelude but the Sonata is clearly going to take me a long time. Is there anything I should know about this piece that might make me think twice about getting my hands dirty? Basically in terms of challenge, is it any worse than a Scherzo or Ballade or easier?
14 pages is a little long for me too, oh well I guess I'll see what happens.

I think that the Sonata, especially the first movement, you will find to be more difficult that a scherzo or ballade, but of course others will disagree. I think in general, the sonatas have a certain awkward quality to them that makes them more difficult to play.

By the way, Schubert wrote a set of four impromptus which are cataloged as D.935. Perhaps that is the number you're referring to. The second piece of that set is the familiar A-flat impromptu.

I've played a couple Ballades, a couple Scherzos, and the Bminor sonata. I would put the Bminor sonata first movement higher in difficulty than all but the 4th Ballade (which I've played), and the 4th Scherzo (which I have not played).

The sonata is a complete 4 movement work, though. It should preferrably be performed as a whole. The last movement is another 14 pages, and is no piece of cake either.

Funny you should mention that sonata becuase I have recently started to work on it.
It IS difficult but the 4th ballade, like Phlebas said, is harder.

One thing that you might want to keep in mind in saying that it is 14 pages is that that 14 pages is not as intimidating as it looks becuase the sonata repeats intself in B major after the development, so you basically just have to relearn the first have in another key.
Having said that, there ARE indeed some technical difficulites in this piece that are enough to drive anyone crazy.

thanks so much for the responses guys. i was think today that this first movement reminded me a bit of the mozart sonata in b-flat, at least for a moment. well i'm going to hold back for a bit before i get started on it. i'm working on the prelude first and maybe i'll find the music to the schubert also. but i'm definitely going to keep this one in line for my next 'epic' piece. I love chopin's later stuff. too bad he didn't live a little longer because i really like the direction his music was taking in sound etc.

My two cents for what it's worth (which often isn't two cents) is that you should take a serious look at Chopin's 2nd Sonata first. It learns much easier than the 3rd. With hard work you could get the first movement learned & memorized in 3-4 days. The only real challenge would be the first 2 pages, which has some wicked stretches in the LH. As Opus mentioned, it also repeats the Second theme of the Exposition, but in a different key, but technically there's nothing more challenging in it than is in the Ballades. And the other three movements are also not as wicked as their 3rd Sonata counterparts. If you're curious, I have a so-so video of me playing the finale of the 3rd Sonata at my website, link below. Might be interesting, if only to see how the fingers move across the keys playing it. This piece was definitely a piece of cake....NOT!

I would find the 2nd much difficult to actualy pull off (though the notes are easier to learn) as it is damn awkward, and there are some very tricky jumps.

The third sonata by chopin is one the romantic eras greatest works. The sincere Chopin seems more sincere than ever in this amazing work.
I have the deepest respect for the third sonata, all movements.
If you really love it.. then go for it.
Life is short

regards /David

Both sonatas are equally great, IMHO. The 3rd is more ambitious, to be sure, but I find it interesting that both Rachmaninoff & Horowitz preferred the 2nd to his 3rd, I believe because of it's compactness (Chopin says as much in the whole of the 2nd as in 3/4's of the 3rd - again IMHO)

joe, if you think that anyone other than a true professional could learn the 1st movement in 3-4 days, you are insane

BBBworship.
I agree with you if you mean Learn = to play it in tempo. But if joe meant learn as = memorize it and be able to slowly play the piece from the beginning to end... I don't think it's impossible at all. But then again it's individual.

Thanks Mandel! My thoughts exactly!

As for the 2nd Sonata, I'm not as thrilled about that one mostly because I've never been able to understand the final movement. I just find it somewhat confusing, but the 1st three are great!

i really have to agree with Phlebas about playing all 4 movements. I eventually want to play the whole thing but I don't intend to learn it all right now.

And that Schubert piece was Three Piano pieces D946 #2
After hearing it again I felt it was a little long-winded so I might just skip it with all these other plans. Heard it by Jando and I really didn't like the interpretation tho. I originally heard it by Brendel, maybe that was the difference.

Pootie said:

Pootie, I think if you reflect on Anton Rubinstein's description of it, (night winds sweeping over church-yard graves)that would help. I find the analogy very appropriate when I listen to a good pianist play it. Myself, I couldn't memorize it in a hundred years! (well, maybe, 99)

Mandel said:

Actually, I was thinking middle road between the two extremes; is that called Moderato???

I love the final movement. I have 3 recordings of it, and the only one which makes sense is Cziffras.