Bistro Concert Series for February

John O’Conor returns for the Bistro Concert Series

John O’Conor, the world-acclaimed Beethoven interpreter and master of classical era works, will perform on Friday, February 20. His program will include some of his favorite pieces, including the Beethoven Moonlight Sonata; several others include the Berceuse, the C-sharp minor Nocturne, the 3rd Ballade, and works by Haydn and Schubert. This nicely follows the series of nocturnes he performed for us last year, beginning with several by his fellow Irishman John Field.

Early in his musical career, O’Conor traveled to Vienna to closely study the original scores of Beethoven. In Beethoven’s day, those conventions were not fully written. Musicians employed familiar conventions as they played sheet music. Later, music publishers added conventions to the scores, often guided more by their imagination than accuracy. O’Conor has been sought by the great orchestras around the world for his knowledge of how the original scores were played. While Beethoven has been at the center of his career, he is also recognized as a master interpreter of the works of greats like Liszt, Chopin, Schubert, and Haydn.

O’Conor teaches at Shenandoah Conservatory in Winchester, the Glenn Gould Music School in Toronto, as well as in Tokyo, and Dublin. Before one performance, he was asked where he lives. His casual reply was: “On airplanes.”  He is a gracious gentleman whose pupils respectfully call him “John.”

His performance begins at 7:30 p.m., and admission is $10 cash at the door. The Bistro Concert Series is sponsored by Atlantic Union Bank. For more information, call 540- 665-0156.

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