Sir, - May I offer a few words in defence of Michael Dervan's criticism of John O'Conor's performance of the Brahms Second Piano Concerto (Arts, December 16th)?
Ian Fox (December 24th) will acknowledge that the fact of being "highly regarded" and "internationally acclaimed" should be no protection against just criticism. And it is my sad experience over many years that Dublin audiences for classical music are highly uncritical and easily pleased, willing to bring the house down over very mediocre performances. This lack of discernment is also reflected in the programmes put on for them, consisting all too often of overplayed "pops" and perennial favourites.
A few years ago I attended a performance by John O'Conor of Beethoven's Variations on a theme by Diabelli. As readers may know, Diabelli invited composers to write variations on his theme, and there are over 30 movements in Beethoven's presentation. Beethoven clearly considered Diabelli's tune to be somewhat banal and pedestrian, and the whole course of the variations was to point this out, and he did so with irony and humour, with great subtlety and changes of mood and sound. The outstanding performance of the work is, to my knowledge, by the great Julius Katchen, the recording of which I have heard many times.
If Mr O'Conor, on the night, was aware of all this, it didn't seem to bother him, since he pounded out the whole work pretty fortissimo, with all the subtlety of a carousel or a Prussian march. The audience loved it, of course, but a friend of mine who was there, a knowledgeable piano man who plays the instrument, to say nothing of myself, was severely shaken.
I mention this to argue that you cannot always judge a performance by popular acclaim and enthusiasm, and that Homer can, sometimes, nod. - Yours, etc.,
George Barry, Sion Road, Glenageary, Co Dublin.