The Irish composer and pianist John Field (1782-1837) can take credit for having invented the nocturne, a genre first transformed by Chopin into a vehicle for pianistic flights of fantasy and later reimagined by Fauré and Debussy. Born in Dublin, Field was a pupil of Clementi and was highly praised by Beethoven, among others. He lived in Russia for many years, where he enjoyed a sparkling career with a lavish lifestyle to match. Today, his nocturnes sound innocuous and pleasing, but his seven piano concertos are substantial works that occupy an ideal ground between Mozart and Mendelssohn. Joined by the four piano sonatas and 18 nocturnes, this collection—played with passion and conviction by Benjamin Frith—shines a light on the enticing world of John Field and his command of the keyboard.
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- Francesco Nicolosi
- John O'Conor
- Keith Clark, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Jerker Johansson, Gothenburg Musicians, Laszlo Kovacs, Camerata Budapest, Bela Kovacs, Budapest Camerata, Christian Benda, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Gennaro Cappabianca, Collegium Philarmonicum Chamber Orchestra, Theodore Kuchar, National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Roderick Shaw, Patrick Gallois, Katarina Andreasson, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Arne Nilsson, Urban Claesson, Marten Larsson, Anders Jonhall, Fredrik Lidin, Richard Hayman, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Ladies Only Cafe Strings, Jaroslav Krček, Capella Istropolitana, Jaroslav Dvořák, Okko Kamu, Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Jenő Jandó, Takako Nishizaki, Pablo Sáinz-Villegas, Tamas Benedek, Hungarian Virtuosi, Keith Brion, Peter Breiner, Gerald Garcia, CSSR State Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosice, Ondrej Lenárd, Bohdan Warchal, Fabrice Pierre, Peter Nagy, Ladislav Kyselak, Richard Edlinger, Hae Won Chang, Robert Stankovsky, Camerata Cassovia, Konstantin Scherbakov, Dmitry Yablonsky & Russian Philharmonic Orchestra
- Howard Shelley, London Mozart Players & Hagai Shaham
- Jordi Masó, Marc Oliu, Joan-Antoni Pich & Marisa Ruiz Magaldi