John Field - Piano Sonatas; Nocturnes Nos. 3, 7 & 17 (John O'Conor)

Information

Composer: John Field

1. Piano Sonata No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 1 (H. 8), No. 1: I. Allegro moderato
2. Piano Sonata No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 1 (H. 8), No. 1: II. Rondo. Allegretto
3. Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 1 (H. 8), No. 2: I. Allegro moderato
4. Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 1 (H. 8), No. 2: II. Allegro vivace
5. Piano Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 1 (H. 8), No. 3: I. Non troppo allegro, ma con fuoco e con espressione
6. Piano Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 1 (H. 8), No. 3: II. Rondo. Allegretto scherzando
7. Piano Sonata No. 4 in B major, H. 17: I. Moderato
8. Piano Sonata No. 4 in B major, H. 17: II. Rondo. Moderato
9. Nocturne No. 3 in A flat major, H. 26 (Un poco allegretto)
10. Nocturne No. 7 in C major "Reverie", H. 45 (Moderato)
11. Nocturne No. 17 in E major "Nocturne pastorale", H. 65 (Lento)

John O'Conor, piano
Date: 1991
Label: Telarc

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Review

"... John O'Conor, returning from his recordings of Mozart concertos and Beethoven sonatas to less demanding fare, could hardly offer a more urbane alternative. There were admittedly times when I longed for something more vivid and articulate, yet for the most part O'Conor's suave command and unruffled expertise win the day. Certainly you could never accuse him of exaggeration or heavy drama, and even Field's occasional fortissimo demands fail to lure him from his gentle course. As supreme instances of his artistry I would urge you to hear his way with the delightfully quaint, elfin dance allegretto from the C minor Sonata, and the con espressione (at 2'38'') of the B major Sonata. I would have liked a greater separation of melody and chiming accompaniment in the Seventh Nocturne (my own particular favourite), something achieved with a more emphatic drama by Miceal O'Rourke on his Chandos set of the Nocturnes. But elsewhere you could hardly ask for greater warmth, sustained beauty of tone and line or more uncontaminated music-making. This record joins John O'Conor's early sets of the Nocturnes (Telarc, 5/90) and concertos (Onyx—nla) to form an invaluable salute to Ireland's most celebrated composer. ..."

-- Bryce Morrison, Gramophone

More reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/Field-Sonatas-Nocturnes-John/dp/B000003CY2

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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.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Field_(composer)

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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.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_O%27Conor

http://www.johnoconor.com/

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