My CD player is horses de combat so I have been listening, this
evening (now night), to Classic King on the web (98.1 FM if you live
in Seattle-which I don't).  The particular CD that was being played was
Seraphim 8235 (I think), the Beethoven Apassionata Sonata played by Andre
Watts.  It is good, though not the best recording I've heard (or, at least,
not the one I've enjoyed the most).  The Apassionata, along with the
Moonlight are two piano sonatas that I find immensely pleasurable (and
there is not that much solo piano music that I enjoy, though I do enjoy the
Mozart sonatas.  It is probably the test of Mozart's genius that most CM
fans enjoy him).  I was trying to decide which recording of Apassionata I
did enjoy the most, and realized that I'm not sure.

I guess my real question is, "Why does Beethoven sound so powerful in
much of his solo piano music while (to my ears) composers like Liszt and
Chopin sound so mannered (i.e.  unconvincing?)" My short answer would be
that Beethoven (and Mozart) were composing music, but that Liszt and Chopin
were composing the equivalent of "New York, New York" for their instrument.
(I will add a final set of parentheses to say that my assessment of Frank
Sinatra is about the same as that of Gary Trudeau [Doonesbury], and so is
suspect).

I would like to add that DPHorn attempted about two years ago to answer
my questions about my lack of affection for the piano, and did a very good
job.  I am like an Agnostic proceeding towards (musical) Atheism.  As the
sonics get better, I am less and less able to appreciate them.

Mike Cole
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