Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), John O'Conor (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: John O'Conor
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B000003CUO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,479 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary..., May 26, 2004

By 

itsoybunnyagain (Brooklyn, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2 (Audio CD)

This is an exceptionally beautiful recording of the 'Waldstein', 'Tempest', and 'Les Adieux' sonatas of Beethoven. O'conor's sound is warm and lyrical with a powerful technique which serves, but never overpowers the music - he's not a basher. He sounds utterly at home in this music and the performances have such a rightness about them that they feel inevitable. He leans, perhaps, a bit more to the classical than the romantic style of playing, so if you're in search of melodrama this may not be the recording for you.

As to the sound - well not to contradict the shrill reviewer below - but to my ear this is one of the best (of hundreds) sounding piano recordings I've heard. There's some room ambience, but not enough that the sound gets lost. It is NOT harsh or overly treble, nor does it have too much bass. It feels intimate, as if you're in the room with the performer and is exceptionally clear and warm. This not a dry recording (see Gulda's WTC).

My favorite 'Waldstein'!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great waldstein interpretation, February 15, 2000

By 

Conor Rafferty (Manhattan, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2 (Audio CD)

The Waldstein sonata can be difficult to interpret. Even after many listenings, the repeated third chords seem like an threatening omen of difficult music ahead. John O'Connor's interpretation of this work is the first I've heard that seems to get into the heart and mind of the music. For me, it was the first recording of the Waldstein that "made sense". It is truly wonderful.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars PERFECT SOUND. AND A HEAP OF TALENT!, April 3, 2006

By 

T. Bellows "soul9" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2 (Audio CD)

***My ears are, if anything, over-sensitive to harsh sound, so regarding the reviewer who complained about the tone in O'Conor...well, with all due respect, I just can't see it. The sound here is rich, full, and loaded with resonance to me. I enjoy/savor O'Conor's touch on the keys AND the pure joy of the piano tone captured here. Congrats to the engineers of this recorded set.
***Thanks to O'Conor, I have a deepening love for the spiritual and intellectual nature of LVB's 32! What a gift for us all.
...and I must add, there are many great players of The 32. Find your true taste and enjoy the best.
...also, if you care to read Paul Twitchell's The Flute of God, you may find an enhanced understanding of music, overtones and even "spiritual psychology."