John O'Conor

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John O'Conor (born January 18, 1947 in Dublin ) is an Irish pianist and piano teacher. Until 2010 he was director of the Royal Irish Academy of Music .

life and career

John O'Conor attended the renowned Jesuit-run Belvedere College in Dublin. He studied piano at the Royal Irish Academy of Music , of which he later became director. The support of an Austrian Government Scholarship for International Students enabled him to study with the piano teacher Dieter Weber in Vienna. His most important piano teacher was the legendary pianist Wilhelm Kempff , with whom he studied Beethoven's piano music. In 1973 he was unanimously awarded first prize at the International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna , which marked the beginning of his international career. In 1975 he won first prize at the Bösendorfer piano competition.

In the course of his concert career he has played with many of the major orchestras, e. B. the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , the London Symphony Orchestra , the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Czech Philharmonic , the Orchester National de France , the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra , the Vienna Symphony as well as the Israel Camerata, the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra and the orchestras of Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, San Francisco, Seattle, Montreal, Toronto, Tampa and Washington, DC in North America.

In 1988 he founded the AXA Dublin International Piano Competition, which is held every three years. He has been a jury member at many of the most important European and US piano competitions, such as the Moscow Tchaikovsky Competition , the Vienna Beethoven Competition , the Chopin Competition , the Busoni Competition and many others.

From 1997 to 2004 he led the Beethoven master classes, which take place in the Casa Orfeo in Positano and which were founded in 1957 by his teacher Wilhelm Kempff.

Awards

John O'Conor holds honorary doctorates from the National University of Ireland , Trinity College Dublin , the Dublin Institute of Technology and Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia. He is an officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres , was awarded the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art and in 2011 with the Japanese sun Order of the Rising excellent.

Discography (selection)

  • Ludwig van Beethoven : Complete Piano Sonatas . 9-CD box. Telarc 1994
  • Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 3 & 4 . London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andreas Delfs . Telarc 2007
  • Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 . London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andreas Delfs. Telarc 2007
  • John Field : Nocturnes . Telarc 1990
  • John Field: Sonatas and Nocturnes . Telarc 1992
  • John Field: Nocturnes and Sonatas . 2 albums. Naxos 2010
  • John Field: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 . Scottish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Charles Mackerras
  • John Field: Concertos for Piano and Orchestra Nos. 6 & 7 . New Irish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by János Fürst . Telarc 1982
  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Piano Concertos [1991–1993]. 4 volumes. Scottish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Charles Mackerras. Telarc
  • Franz Schubert : Moments Musicaux - Sonata in A Major . Telarc Digital 1995
  • Franz Schubert: Impromptus op. 90, op. 142; Waltzes op.18 Telarc 1993
  • Franz Schubert. Four impromptus op. 90, D899; Four impromptus op. 142, D935; Twelve waltzes op.18, D145 . Telarc 1993
  • Irish Classics . Irish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Mitch Farber. Perfect Sound Studio 2010

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ About us. Previous winners. International Beethoven Piano Competition Vienna, accessed on March 17, 2020.
  2. ^ The Organization. Dublin International Piano Competition, accessed October 31, 2015.
  3. ↑ Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerts No. 1, 3, 4th jpc , accessed on October 30, 2015.
  4. ↑ Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concertos No. 2 & 5.jpc, accessed on October 30, 2015.
personal data
SURNAME O'Conor, John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Irish pianist and piano teacher
DATE OF BIRTH January 18, 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH Dublin