# Favorite Russian Piano or Cello Sonatas



## RussianFlute (Jul 26, 2021)

Hi all, I am just now entering the world of sonatas. If you can't tell I am a fan of the Russian/Soviet branch of music, so I was just curious what piano and cello sonatas are your favorites? So far I think I like Balakirev's piano sonata 2, but haven't tried much else. Not a huge fan of the Prokofiev sonatas. 
For cello sonatas I have really only listened to the two by Myaskovsky and I really like them both! Any other recommendations would be appreciated


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Rachmaninov's Cello Sonata in G minor - absolutely wonderful piece, my favourite cello sonata of them all.

EDIT: for solo piano, more Rachmaninov, namely his Sonata no.1, with one of the great Rachmaninov tunes (that nobody seems to know) in the first movement and many delights throughout the piece.


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## Ludwig Schon (10 mo ago)

Prokofiev’s War Sonatas QED


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

RussianFlute said:


> Hi all, I am just now entering the world of sonatas. If you can't tell I am a fan of the Russian/Soviet branch of music, so I was just curious what piano and cello sonatas are your favorites? So far I think I like Balakirev's piano sonata 2, but haven't tried much else. Not a huge fan of the Prokofiev sonatas.
> For cello sonatas I have really only listened to the two by Myaskovsky and I really like them both! Any other recommendations would be appreciated


Glazunov: Piano Sonatas I & II, Three Etudes, Theme et Variations on a Finnish Folksong, Nocturne
Balakirev: Sonata in B-flat, Islamey
Lyapunov: Piano Sonata, Variations on a Georgian Theme, Nocturne
Rachmaninoff: 24 Preludes, Etudes-Tableaux
Scriabin: Piano Sonata III
Blumenfeld: 24 Preludes, Impromptus, Opp.13 & 28, Sonata-Fantasie
Tchaikovsky: The Seasons, Trio
Rubinstein: Piano Sonata III, Melody in F, Deux Melodies, and Deux Morceaux
Catoire: Cinq Morceaux, Caprice, Vision 'Étude'
Myaskovsky: Cello Sonatas I& II, Yellowed Leaves, Piano Sonatas VIII and IX, Prelude and Rondo, op. 58
Lyadov: Two Pieces, op. 24
Polovinkin: Suite for piano "Dziuba"
Rebikov: Esclavage et Liberte, Autumn Leaves, Three Etudes
Alexandrov: Fourth Sonata
Roslavets: Three Compositions, Three Etudes, Five Preludes
Protopoppov: Piano Sonata II
Arensky: The Twelve Preludes op. 63
Kabalevsky: Piano Sonatas I, II, III, Sonatina I, Cello Sonata 
Bortkiewicz: Lamentations and Consolations, Ten Preludes, Ballade
Prokofiev: Sonata no. VII
Shostakovich: Sonata no. I
Feinberg: Piano Sonata IX


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

I highly recommend Shostakovich's cello sonata. It's one of my favorite in the genre (speaking as a former cellist).


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## Bruce (Jan 2, 2013)

For solo piano sonatas, I'd recommend: 

Glazunov - Piano Sonatas 1 & 2 
Kabalevsky - Piano Sonatas
Khachaturian - Piano Sonata
Medtner - All of his piano sonatas are worth the time. 
Prokofiev - Piano Sonata No. 8 (Took me a while to warm up to this one, but I think it's now one of my favorites)
Rachmaninov - Piano Sonatas 1 & 2 
Stanchinsky - Piano Sonatas 1 & 2 (Stanchinsky died quite young, and was mentally unstable, but his piano music is very nice). 

Those are a few of my best loved piano works from Russia.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

*Scriabin*

He wrote nine. All of his solo piano music is phenomenal: the Preludes, Mazurkas, Etudes - and yes, the sonatas.


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## SearsPoncho (Sep 23, 2020)

Tchaikovsky's "Grand" Sonata or "Grosse" Sonata for Piano. It's not very well known. I have an old recording by Richter. It sounds very difficult to play, which might be one of the reasons pianists steer clear of it. 

Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Sonata. Horowitz made a great recording.


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## dko22 (Jun 22, 2021)

probably Prokofiev's 8th piano sonata -- perhaps the greatest of the 20th century.


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## Aderichleau (9 mo ago)

The two cello sonatas by Leokadia Kashperova (1872-1940) are very good late-Romantic efforts. I'm particularly fond of her 2nd in E minor, which was broadcast by the BBC back in March. Hopefully, they'll be commercially released at some point in the not-too-distant future.


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## Aderichleau (9 mo ago)

Alexander Grechaninov also wrote a cello sonata in a late-Romantic style - his Op. 113. It's certainly worth a listen. Although not a sonata, his Nocturne for cello and piano, published c.1920, is a beautiful piece. This is an arrangement of his Suite, Op. 86/2.


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## mollig (Nov 20, 2021)

From me another vote for Rachmaninov's Cello Sonata in G Minor. An exquisite piece.

And I like Rach's shorter pieces for piano too, the preludes and moments musicaux.


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