Over the past five decdes, acclaimed pianist John O'Conor has earned a worldwide reputation as a masterful interpreter of the Classic and early-Romantic repertoires.
John joins the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and conductor Gavin Maloney this March at the National Concert Hall to perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4; the programme also features Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Overture and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1.
We asked John for his choice cultural picks...
FILM
I adore older movies so have a huge collection of DVDs to choose from. Some I have watched recently and loved all over again include The Lion in Winter with Katharine Hepburn and Peter O'Toole, Buena Sera, Mrs. Campbell with the delectable Gina Lollobrigida and Tea with Mussolini with the three Dames - Maggie Smith, Judi Dench and Joan Plowright and also Cher. I remember when that movie came out and I was in New York watching one of the early morning TV programmes. The three Dames were promoting the movie and the interviewer asked them what it had been like to work with Cher. The three (very naughty!!) Dames looked puzzled (grinning all the while) and said "What’s a Cher" before admitting "Oh, the singer!!" I laughed so much.
MUSIC
One of the most exciting concerts I attended last year was the Bill Whelan concert at the National Concert Hall, which was such a wonderful tribute to a national treasure!! He even sang himself which was a surprise to me! I also loved the National Chamber Choir concert at Kilkenny Arts Festival. I had never heard them sing before and they were amazing. I also love musicals and saw the musical version of Some Like it Hot in Tampa with incredible dancing, Audra McDonald in Gypsy on Broadway and the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular in New York with the extraordinary Rockettes. It brought me back to magical Christmas shows in the Theatre Royal when I was a kid!
BOOK
I am a HUGE fan of Judi Dench and simply devoured her book The Man Who Pays the Rent, which includes many of her memories of acting in Shakespeare plays. She tells her stories with her typical humour and it was riveting to read. It made me want to read all the Shakespeare plays all over again with greater insight because of her. I have the complete DVDs of her in the TV series As Time Goes By which I still watch regularly.
TV
I loved the documentary film Tea with the Dames with Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Joan Plowright and Eileen Atkins, four of my favourite people well into their 80s but showing their love of life and laughter. I also mourn Angela Lansbury, another favourite, who died last year. At least my sons gave me the complete Murder, She Wrote series on DVD a few years ago so I can still enjoy her company.
ART
I have always loved art and would love to have an original Roderic O’Conor or Jack Yeats painting but I am lucky that my son Hugh has turned out to be such an extraordinary photographer so his photos grace our places in Dublin, Florida and Virginia. It’s nice to have him with me always.
RADIO
Mary and I are both RTÉ lyric fm junkies and even when we are in the States have the station on all the time. As well as all the regular contributors I was delighted to welcome Simon Delaney to the airwaves and still remember the amazing tribute Aedín Gormley gave to Stephen Sondheim. And I always love going on Marty Whelan’s programme.
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APP
I’m not good on apps but always check up the weather which is so important as I travel so much.
THE NEXT BIG THING...
I am SO looking forward to coming back to Dublin to perform the Beethoven 4th Piano Concerto with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and Gavin Maloney at the National Concert Hall on March 6th. It’s the concerto I performed when I won the Beethoven International Piano Competition in the Vienna Musikverein way back in 1973 which really started my big career so it has always been a favourite of mine.
John O’Conor joins the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and conductor Gavin Maloney on Thursday 6th March at the National Concert Hall to perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4; also on the programme, Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Overture and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1. Find out more here.
