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Thursday, August 20, 2015

John Field - Nocturnes (John O'Conor)


Information

Composer: John Field
  1. Nocturne No. 1 in E-flat major, H. 24 (Molto moderato)
  2. Nocturne No. 2 in C minor, H. 25 (Moderato e molto espressivo)
  3. Nocturne No. 4 in A major, H. 36 (Poco Adagio)
  4. Nocturne No. 5 in B-flat major, H. 37 (Andantino)
  5. Nocturne No. 6 in F major "Berceuse" (Andante)
  6. Pastorale in A major, H. 14 (Andante)
  7. Romance in E-flat major, H. 30 (Andantino)
  8. Nocturne No. 10 in E minor, H. 54 (Adagio)
  9. Nocturne No. 11 in E-flat major, H. 56 (Moderato)
  10. Nocturne No. 12 in G major, H. 58 (Lento)
  11. Nocturne No. 13 in D minor "Lied ohne Worte", H. 59 (Lento)
  12. Nocturne No. 14 in C major, H. 60 (Molto moderato)
  13. Nocturne No. 15 in C major, H. 61 (Molto moderato)
  14. Nocturne No. 16 in F major, H. 62 (Molto moderato)
  15. Nocturne No. 18 in E major "Midi", H. 13 (Allegretto)

John O'Conor, piano
Date: 1990
Label: Telarc


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Review

O'Conor did Field-lovers a tremendous service in the early 1980s in recording on LP all seven of the piano concertos (Claddagh—nla). Now he has turned his hand to the Nocturnes: these new performances were recorded last year in the United States. Whereas Micheal O'Rourke on Chandos ((CD) CHAN 8719/20, 9/89) offered 18 of the pieces, O'Conor here gives us 15. The three missing items would not have fitted on to one CD (O'Rourke's two discs, with an average playing time of only 45 minutes, make for an expensive buy). Nor are the three Nocturnes that O'Conor omits especially characteristic pieces: Nos. 3 in A flat and 7 in C (Peters edition) contain etude-like figures that lend the pieces a certain monotony. Again, the other one, Le troubadour, which is written with the simplest notation of all, hardly conforms to the genre which Field himself had established. It virtually never appears in compilations of the pieces.

The two Irish pianists have very different musical personalities. O'Rourke is convincingly soulful for the dreamy episodes and animated for the climaxes of phrases. He frequently produces too strong a tone in the latter. O'Conor's style is smoother and rather more feminine; he is less overtly 'expressive'. In the simpler pieces I prefer O'Rourke's greater depth of imagination, even if his dynamics are on the bold side. However, O'Conor at his best, as in the elaborately decorative style of Nocturne No. 6 in F, wins one over with a pellucid use of piano tone. In No. 8 in A, with its Gaelic flavour, he is superbly relaxed and produces a fine legato touch.

I must admit that I don't consider either pianists give an ideally comprehensive account of this elusive and charming music. The Nocturnes Nos. 4 in A and 14 in C are the most important of all, and in both O'Conor underestimates their musical scope. O'Rourke demonstrates real insight in the latter, but is too deliberate in the accompaniments of the A major. I wish that Dame Myra Hess's lovely Columbia 78 of this one would appear on CD. The new release has gentle piano sound, with none of O'Rourke's stridency. Nevertheless, it is the Chandos that I slightly prefer from the interpretative angle.

-- James Methuen-Campbell, Gramophone

More reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/John-Field-15-Nocturnes/dp/B000003CVP

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John Field (26 July 1782 [?], baptised 5 September 1782 – 23 January 1837) was an Irish pianist, composer, and teacher. Born in Dublin, Field studied with Tommaso Giordani there, before studied under Muzio Clementi in London, and quickly became a famous and sought-after concert pianist. Field was very highly regarded by his contemporaries and his playing and compositions influenced many major composers, including Frédéric Chopin, Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, and Franz Liszt. Field is best known as the instigator of the nocturne, but there is evidence to suggest that this is a posthumous accolade.

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John O'Conor (born 18 January 1947 in Dublin) is an Irish pianist and pedagogue, and former director of the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He studied with J. J. O'Reilly in Dublin, Dieter Weber in Vienna, and also made a special study of Beethoven with Wilhelm Kempff. He has performed in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, and has given recitals in many of the world's most famous halls. O'Conor has made more than 20 recordings for the Telarc label including compositions of Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert. He is also an avid proponent of his fellow countryman John Field.

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