Finest Cycle of Non-Austro-Germanic Piano Sonatas?

[Florestan]

For the purpose of this thread cycle means at least two.

My list, chronologically:

Chopin
Albeniz
Rachmaninoff
Medtner
York Bowen

[Roasted Swan]

For the purpose of this thread cycle means at least two.

My list, chronologically:

Chopin
Albeniz
Rachmaninoff
Medtner
York Bowen

Wot no Bax!?!?  Albeniz - you're 'aving a larf.........  

[Florestan]

Wot no Bax!?!?  Albeniz - you're 'aving a larf.........  

Well, I never heard the Bax sonatas. Have you ever heard the Albeniz ones?  

[ritter]

No need to argue, gentleman. It's neither Albéniz nor Bax. The correct answer is...Pierre Boulez!

[Florestan]

No need to argue, gentleman. It's neither Albéniz nor Bax. The correct answer is...Pierre Boulez!

And why not? After all, I didn't mention, nor did I envision, any scientific evaluation.

[Symphonic Addict]

Prokofiev hands down!

[Todd]

The correct answer is...Pierre Boulez!

An acceptable answer.  Also acceptable: Scriabin and Prokofiev.  These have been scientifically determined to be the best non-Germanic piano sonata composers.

[Jo498]

Prokofiev hands down!

of course, next would be Scriabin. Scarlatti are not multi-movement sonatas, so I would not count them.

I cannot accept 3 sonatas of which 1 is almost never played as in the case of Chopin as "cycle".

[Todd]

Scarlatti are not multi-movement sonatas, so I would not count them.

I must split hairs here since the thread is about piano sonatas, and Scarlatti did not compose for the piano.  The same applies to Soler, who is at least as good as Scarlatti.  The single movement critique is a solid one.

[Florestan]

You (plural) may stretch the meaning of Piano Sonata as far as you want. But if you do that, then I'll add Scarlatti on the top of my list.

[Florestan]

I cannot accept 3 sonatas of which 1 is almost never played as in the case of Chopin as "cycle".

I defined cycle as "at least two". My thread, my rules. 

[Karl Henning]

Prokofiev hands down!

For me, as well. I should dive back into the Skryabin sonatas, though. 

[Symphonic Addict]

Others that come to my mind:

Szymanowski (3)
Rubinstein (4)
Bacewicz (3)
Ginastera (3)
Tippett (4)
Enescu (2) (A pity that his 2nd Sonata is lost)

[San Antone]

Liszt:

Sonata in B Minor
Dante sonata
3 Petrarca sonatas

[Luke]

Do you mean the 3 Petrarch Sonnets? I'm unaware of a sonata, unless my mind is having a 'moment'

[Florestan]

Liszt:

Sonata in B Minor
Dante sonata

I'll willingly give you those two.

3 Petrarca sonatas

I'm usually a liberal and tolerant guy, but stretching Sonata to Sonnet is too far and too off mark. 

[DavidW]

I guess the point of the thread is that the piano sonata is so intimately tied in with austro-germanic piano music that it doesn't make sense to discuss it excluding those composers.

But solo piano is so much richer than the sonata. Who even needs the sonata when we have Messaien, Faure, Chopin and Liszt?

[San Antone]

Do you mean the 3 Petrarch Sonnets? I'm unaware of a sonata, unless my mind is having a 'moment'

Oops - my bad. 

[Luke]

Oops - my bad. 

Gorgeous pieces, though!

[Luke]

Of course it's just my personal feeling but to my mind a cycle is more than a couple of sonatas, it is a series spread out over a number of years or even a lifetime which show growth and which seem to 'talk' to each other. So to me the great sonata cycles beyond Beethoven, Haydn etc are those of Scriabin, Prokofiev, Medtner, Tippett, which though smaller in number covers his stylistic journey almost from beginning to end