The piano music of John Field is the subject of Benjamin Frith's latest survey, and the impression made by this first volume is mixed. On the face of it, Frith has many of the attributes required by this music: he is very good at creating a soft-focus haze well suited to the Nocturnes, projects the melodic line calmly and without overdone rubato or theatrical effects, is unfailingly tasteful, and always produces an attractive tone.
You can feel a 'but' coming, can't you? What I really miss in Frith's approach to the Nocturnes is a sense of something being consoled. His manner is consoling, in a generalised way, but what is it consoling? There is no sadness, no intensity, very little drama; his playing is clean and pretty, and thoroughly musical, but overall just a little bland. Frith creates a mood of calm reflection that is rewarding, but is also limiting in its expressive and communicative scope. His dynamic range gives a small-scale image, rarely rising above a mezzo-forte, and at moments when you sense he might open out or increase the dramatic tension, he tends to retreat into the protective shell of his graceful but withdrawn style. Some listeners will no doubt have a greater appreciation of the gentle coolness of Frith's approach - it is by no means unidiomatic, but is surely too reserved.
The two sonatas offer a more varied expressive profile, and Frith conveys a more spirited and passionate persona. The highlight of the disc is his wonderfully characterful and buoyant articulation of the Rondo from the E flat Sonata, Op 1 No 1 (track 7). There is more contrast in the A major Sonata, too, although this performance is marred by the recorded sound, which gives the upper register a jarring and brittle hollowness. Naxos does seem to have some difficulty creating a truly excellent piano sound - this is better than most of its piano recordings, with a very good acoustic, but in louder passages the treble range of the instrument is given a percussive, xylophone-like image. However, this is less of a problem in the Nocturnes, where Frith's sensitive playing is portrayed in the most intimate terms.'