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.'