Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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'!

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.

***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."

There is a little noise audible in the recording, and for MY TASTE, the tempus seems a little fast for some sets (e.g. 1st set of "Waldstein"). Alltogether this is a good recording though, which I enjoy listening to.

The music may be great and the performance may be great, but the recording (or the piano - but I doubt that) is terrible. The piano sounds like it's made of cheap metal (if that were possible) - everything sounds "tinny". The higher registers sound shrill and thin, the middle registers are flat and lifeless, and the lower notes lack any depth or resonance. A real disappointment.