John Field: Complete Nocturnes
Deutsche Grammophon, 2025
10/10
Listen to John Field: Complete Nocturnes
The pianist Alice Sara Ott heads back to the origin of the nocturne, where this full cycle unfolds with incredible attention to detail via John Field’s vision.
“Field: Nocturne No. 1 in E-Flat Major, H. 24” starts with the bright and dancing keys emitting much beauty and grace thanks to Ott’s very agile fingers, and “Field: Nocturne No. 2 in C Minor, H. 25” follows with a reflective mood that swirls amid the melodic ideas and poetic ambience.
Moving towards the middle, “Field: Nocturne No. 6 in F Major, H. 40 "Cradle Song"“ finds itself in dreamy areas, where the meticulous progressions are both playful and harmonic, while “Field: Nocturne No. 8 in E-Flat Major, H. 30” showcases Ott’s profound skill in more firm areas that resonate tremendous emotion.
Landing close to the end, “Field: Nocturne No. 15 in D Minor, H. 59 “Song Without Words”” carries an imitable beauty that builds into a frisky album highlight, and “Field: Nocturne No. 18 in F Major, H. 62” exits with a detailed and lush execution that few others could replicate.
This is the first interpretation of Field’s cycle to benefit from the immersive sound of Dolby Atmos, and it helps make for a timeless and technical masterpiece.
Travels well with: Seong-Jin Cho- Ravel: The Complete Solo Piano Works; Daniil Trifonov- My American Story: North