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Tue, 19 Nov 2002 11:15:51 -0500 |
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Jeffrey Hall enthuses over Brendel's Beethoven piano sonatas. I'll weigh
in with the following observation. I have a recording Brendel playing
a few of the sonatas, and I have John O'Conner's complete cycle of the
sonatas. While I might give a more detailed description at some point,
I'd have to say I prefer Brendel. I think, through subtle variations in
timing (eg. "pregnant pauses") and small fluctuations in balance, he
manages to impart a greater sense of meaning to certain passages. On
the other hand, I half suspect O'Conner performs these sonatas more in
a classical mode, so that purists like Joyce Maier might prefer O'Conner.
But on the strentgh of several hearings, I think Brendel enjoys a slight
edge. FYI, I elected not to buy the complete Brendel cycle because it
was almost twice the price of the O'Conner performances.
Larry Sherwood
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