As an exclusive telarc artist, he alone has done more to revive interest in the life and works of john field than anyone else. Try disabling any ad blockers and refreshing this page. Piano sonatas vol i john o conor by beethoven, ludwig van on cd. Acclaimed for his eloquent style, dynamic technique and command of keyboard color, particularly in the classic and romantic repertoires, irish pianist john o conor first gained widespread attention in the united states in 1986, with the first installment of the complete cycle of beethoven sonatas. Jan 07, 2011 in this unique film, recorded in positano, on italys rugged amalfi coast, internationally acclaimed concert pianist john o conor tries to pass on the passion and power of beethoven s music to the. However, i kept waiting for the familiar emotions to wash over me, and they just didnt happen. Order from your preferred classical music cd store arkivmusic. Irish pianist john oconor continues to show hes a master of. I find his account of the sonatas extraordinarily clear and powerful.
It is interesting to note that he studied with that great beethoven specialist, wilhelm kempff. It is a wonderful introduction to beethoven and john o conor. Beethoven 1812 when we think of the great beethoven interpreters of the twentieth and twentyfirst centuries, the name of irish pianist, john oconor, immediately springs to mind. Although originally not intended to be a meaningful whole, as a set they compose one of the most important collections of works in the history of music. Oconor, john, beethoven, ludwig van piano sonatas 2. Oconors easy mastery of ludwig van beethovens final, intricate sonatas is a startling portrait of beethovens stillevolving compositional genius overarching his complete inability to hear music. Waldstein, tempest, les adieux by john o conor and tens of millions of other songs on all your devices with amazon music unlimited. This 1985 recording of irish pianist john oconor performing three of beethoven s most popular sonatas was made in london using sony equipment was a typical early telarc production. Jan 21, 2017 iconic irish piano legend john oconor celebrates his 70th birthday playing beethoven source. Pianist john oconor has always played some beethoven. Beethoven, john oconor piano sonatas, volume v 1990, cd. Some of the sonatas receive a more restrained treatment than do others there is a variety of approach. In this unique film, recorded in positano, on italys rugged amalfi coast, internationally acclaimed concert pianist john oconor tries to pass on the passion and power of beethoven.
He has been invited to serve on the juries of many international piano competitions including those in leeds, moscow tchaikovsky, vienna beethoven, warsaw chopin. Apr 19, 2015 irish pianist john oconor continues to show hes a master of beethoven. Cd80160, john oconor piano sonatas, volume ii album art, beethoven, john oconor beethoven, john oconor piano sonatas, volume ii. John oconor was a cofounder of the dublin international piano competition of which he is artistic director and chairman of the jury. Oconors approach is the perfect mix of appropriate and evocative. Stream adfree with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and tablet. For the pathetique sonata, beethoven chose the darkly dramatic key of c minor, which he. Records became rarer during the last decade but with a beethoven concerto cycle now under way i look forward to judging him for what he is and not what he was.
Program notes by steven ledbetter and biographical notes on the performer in english with french and german translations 19 p. It was his first release in the series of complete sonatas of beethoven for telarc that brought o conor to the attention of the world in 1986, completing the cycle in 1994. While some of the hatto pianists have disappeared into semioblivion, john oconors website shows his career to be still continuing. He has performed with some of the worlds leading orchestras and toured the world in recital and concert appearances. Provided to youtube by universal music group beethoven. This is an excellent installment in john oconors cycle of the complete beethoven piano sonatas. Audio recording, no linguistic content, beethoven, ludwig van. John oconors complete set of beethoven piano sonatas is a monumental achievement, not only for the sheer volume of music recorded, but for its coherent interpretive scope and its successful illumination of developmental aspects of beethovens everevolving style. Since 1997, oconor has presented kempffs beethoven interpretation course at the legendary pianists villa in italy.
Beethoven complete piano sonatas john oconor box set. John o conor s complete set of beethoven piano sonatas is a monumental achievement, not only for the sheer volume of music recorded, but for its coherent interpretive scope and its successful illumination of developmental aspects of beethoven s everevolving style. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Irish pianist oconors allbeethoven recital is rooted in a. John o conor will present beethoven s pathetique, moonlight and appassionata sonatas during a conservatory concert at westmoreland circle. The recording was made in mechanics hall in worcester, mass. He has also recorded all of the sonatas in a complete set.
Recognized as the worlds premier beethoven interpreter, irish pianist john oconor celebrates the 250th anniversary of ludwig van beethovens birth with a concert featuring the composers last three piano sonatas op. The tragic story of beethovens life helped draw pianist john oconor into. Audio recording, beethoven, ludwig van, not applicable. Irish pianist john oconor has earned a worldwide reputation as a masterful interpreter of the classic and earlyromantic repertoires. Central to kempffs reputation are the five beethoven piano concertos and so any new recordings by one of his pupils will inevitably face comparison. John oconors complete set of beethoven piano sonatas is a monumental achievement, not only for the sheer volume of music recorded, but for its coherent. Beethoven, john oconor piano sonatas, volume i 1986. He went on to record the complete sonatas and these were issued as a box set in 1994. Though beethoven himself didnt call this sonata the moonlight, oconors calm yet mobile opening movement. Ludwig van beethoven wrote his 32 piano sonatas between 1795 and 1822. A pianist of unbounding sensitivity gramophone with impeccable technique and musicality sunday times london and exquisite playing new york times, irish pianist john oconor celebrates beethoven with a performance of the pathetique, moonlight and appassionata sonatas in a concert presented by washington conservatory at westmoreland circle. The only o connors i knew used to live up the street from me. Jun 03, 2009 claudio arrau ii 1984 1990 philips france arrau heritage edition arrau, who started to record a cycle for walter legge with columbia between 1947 and 1960 only 11 sonatas were recorded, went on to produce one of the most cherished cycles for philips in the 60s. John oconor plays beethovens sonata pathetique, ii movement.
You can hear the humor in some of beethoven s sonatas. He has performed the complete sonatas of beethoven in a cycle of 8 recitals in one season on a number of occasions. John oconor is not one to get in the way of the music. John oconor born 18 january 1947 is an irish pianist and pedagogue, and former director of. His technical performance of the second movement of pathetique was excellent, of course. John o conor is a lyrical pianist who plays with beautiful tone. His sensitive, intelligent and historicallyinformed pilgrimage through the herculian pianistic mire of 32 sonatas and 5 concertos has garnered worldwide acclaim. A disarming feature of volume 1 is that the booklet has notes by the late clive lythgoe which imply a. John oconor is a highly accomplished and respected pianist, one who has studied beethoven extensively. A recital by john oconor piano aspen music festival and school. His interpretations of schuberts very popular impromptus are simple, gentle and understated. Beethoven, john oconor piano sonatas, volume v 1990. His sensitive, intelligent and historicallyinformed pilgrimage through the herculian pianistic mire of 32 sonatas. Beethoven sonatas a survey of complete cycles part 4.
John o conor is a highly accomplished and respected pianist, one who has studied beethoven extensively. He is not so aggressive as some other pianists and has made a beautiful recording of beethoven piano sonatas. Beethoven complete piano sonatas oconnor cd80400 ch. The five sonatas presented here are characteristic of the classical style, to which haydn was the most important contributor and innovator, and his techniques and expressions anticipate the more dramatic features of the piano sonatas of wolfgang amadeus mozart and ludwig van beethoven. Jan 20, 2011 the great german pianist wilhelm kempff was one of the irish pianist john oconors teachers. This recital features three of beethovens most celebrated sonatas.
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