JOHN FIELD: Complete Piano Sonatas; Nocturnes, Nos....

JOHN FIELD: Complete Piano Sonatas; Nocturnes, Nos. 3, 7, 17. John O’Conor, piano. Telarc CD-80290. These renderings of John Field’s piano sonatas bear about as much resemblance to the printed scores as margarine does to butter: At best, they are reminders of something more tasty. Irish pianist O’Conor willfully distorts what Field has written--taking allegros at andante, ignoring dynamic markings, playing everything with a prettified rubato--in an effort to . . . what? To reveal Field’s influence on Chopin? If so, he fails, turning Field’s classical sonatas into wallpaper paste in the process. Pity.