# Which version of Prokofiev's 5th Piano Sonata do you prefer and why?



## Aleksandr Rachkofiev (Apr 7, 2019)

I intended to post this thread a while ago, but it was lost in the other hectic elements of my life. So here it is, the op.38 or the op.135, both representing different (yet perhaps equally enjoyable) eras of Prokofiev - which do you prefer, and why?


----------



## CrunchyFr0g (Jun 11, 2019)

Compared to the revision of the 4th Symphony, I don't find an enormous difference between the two versions. I'm surprised he gave it a new opus number. I tend to listen to the revised version more often. The finale is better balanced I think. But there's not much in it. Barbara Nissman and Boris Berman are my favourite interpretations, of those that I've heard.


----------



## Janspe (Nov 10, 2012)

So far I haven't been terribly fond of the work, though I do enjoy listening to it when going through the nine sonatas chronologically. I usually go for Yefim Bronfman's interpretation, as with the other eight.

I'd be interested to hear opinions from people who really love the work. What are the things that make the piece special to you? Maybe it could grow on me!


----------



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

My Boris Berman set has only Op. 135. The program notes discuss the revisions as adjustments, implying that they are improvements on the original. Don’t believe I’ve ever heard the first version.


----------

