As the Piano Rules Ludwig's Roost
By Paul Hertelendy
artssf.com, the independent observer of San Francisco Bay Area music and dance
Week of April 18-25, 2010
Vol. 12, No. 92
SAN JOSE---There were some admirable Promethean heights in Christopher O’Riley’s assault on late Beethoven in his April 17 piano recital here. Pairing Beethoven’s longest piano piece---the monumental “Diabelli” Variations---with the resonant last sonata (Op. 111) made a powerful statement echoing through the time-worn concert hall on the San José State University campus.
O’Riley is best known for hosting the syndicated radio showcase for teen musicians, “From the Top,” which has done more to dissolve stereotypes of nerdy classical musicians than anything else since Leonard Bernstein’s music lectures on early TV, But he is also a concert pianist, doing both recitals and concertos around the country with panache.
What I really liked about O’Riley was his dynamism and passion in attacking the keyboard...read the full review at ArtsSF.com
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