[Favorite recording of the Beethoven sonatas?]

I would post this forum... but it's slow as hell. So..

After having listened to many, many different notable pianists tackle the sonatas, including Alfred Brendel, Idil Biret, Richard Goode, and others, I have come to the conclusion that the ultimate interpreter of Beethoven's sonatas, to this day, is John O'Conor. Why?

1. His technique is so impeccable that he makes everything, even the most difficult passages, sound incredibly easy. He'll never make you nervous-he has complete control over every section.

2. The melodic line is ALWAYS incredibly clear and sweet. It's really beautiful how he always manages to make every line sound so perfect..

3. His playing style is always appropriate to the individual piece. The anguished and energetic sonatas (Appassionata, Pathetique, Waldstein, Op. 111, etc) are intensely dramatic, and generally at fast tempos. The others are appropriately lyrical and relaxed ("Hunt", Pastoral, Op. 110, etc).

4. It rarely gets thunderously loud. There's a tendency by many pianists to bang on the piano as hard as they can whenever there's a forte or fortissimo.. context counts, people. Plus, these sonatas were written for the fortepiano, a quieter instrument than the modern piano. O'Conor understands this and maintains an element of restraint throughout the piece, so that when the music really does require fff playing, the effect is extremely dramatic in contrast.

So, if you haven't heard this guy (and most people I know haven't), definitely give him a try. I particularly recommend his performances of the "Appassionata" and the "Waldstein" to start with.

[TOP 10 ALBUMS IN 2009]

1) Luke Hess / Light in the dark

2) Martyn / Great lenghts

3) Marek Hemmann / In between

4) Mokira / Persona

5) Sparklehorse + Fennesz / In the fishtank

6)Sven Weisemann / Xine

7) Vladislav Delay / Tummaa

8) William Basinski / 92982

9) Yello /Touch Yello

10) Yagya / Ringing

[What are your favorite music videos?]

Anything rock or metal...

Arch Enemy - Revolution Begins

Carcass - No Love Lost

Machine Head - Aesthetics Of Hate

Slipknot (yes, really) - Before I Forget

Vader - Kingdom

Pantera - I'm Broken

Pantera - Revolution Is My Name

Real spellings, real music, real bands...