John Field's Nocturnes

[aligreto]

John Field was born in Dublin in 1782, the son of a theatre violinist. He was taught the piano first by his father and then from the age of nine by the Neapolitan composer and impresario Tommaso Giordani. Field made his début as a pianist in Dublin on 24th March 1792 at the Rotunda Assembly Rooms.
In 1793 the Fields moved to Bath but by the autumn of the same year they had moved again to London. Here Field's father played as a violinist in the Haymarket Theatre orchestra and found the substantial sum of a hundred guineas to buy his son an apprenticeship with Muzio Clementi. Haydn, in a diary entry of 1795, records his impression of "Field a young boy, which plays the pianoforte extremely well".
1801 saw the end of Field's seven year apprenticeship and the following year Clementi set out for Paris, taking Field with him. From there they travelled to Vienna where lessons in counterpoint were arranged with Albrechtberger, Beethoven's former teacher. Clementi had intended to leave Field in Vienna while he travelled to Russia but Field begged to be allowed to accompany him and Clementi agreed.
Things did not go well at first but Field eventually found it possible to establish himself after Clementi's departure in 1803. In March 1804 Field gave the first performance in Russia of his Piano Concerto No. 1, which was well received. Field enjoyed great success as a performer, in a style that had more in common with Hummel than with the virtuosity of the younger players like Liszt. He became a very effective teacher and, with concert appearances, became quite well to do. However, his private life was not as successful; he drank too much, was careless with his money and separated from his wife.
In 1831 ill health forced Field to return to London where he appeared in concerts as well as in Manchester. He attended the funeral of Clementi in Westminster Abbey and then travelled to France and Italy, giving concerts. His health deteriorated during the journey and he spent nine months in hospital in Naples before a Princess Rakhmanova took him back to Russia. He died on 23rd January 1837.

(Notes by Keith Anderson)

[SonicMan46]

Hi Sanantone - boy a 5 year hiatus and the last reply by me!  Thanks for the excellent post - I do own a lot of Dussek, but nothing by Tomášek - any specific recommendations for starters?  Thanks - Dave

Along with Field two other composers deserve to be mentioned, Jan Latislav Dussek and Václav Tomášek.

[San Antone]

Hi Sanantone - boy a 5 year hiatus and the last reply by me!  Thanks for the excellent post - I do own a lot of Dussek, but nothing by Tomášek - any specific recommendations for starters?  Thanks - Dave

I've heard this one on Spotify and it has a nice selection from several of his collections of piano music.

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Amazon only has about a dozen recordings, most of which are only available from third party sellers, and some are priced really high.  But there are recordings with a variety of his music.  I am mainly interested in the solo piano music, so the one above is a good start for my needs.  There's another one of just the Ecologues, which is also on Spotify:

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[SonicMan46]

I've heard this one on Spotify and it has a nice selection from several of his collections of piano music.

   

Amazon only has about a dozen recordings, most of which are only available from third party sellers, and some are priced really high.  But there are recordings with a variety of his music.  I am mainly interested in the solo piano music, so the one above is a good start for my needs.  There's another one of just the Ecologues, which is also on Spotify:

Thanks - just checked Spotify on my iPad - all three of the above are listed along w/ a piano-soprano disc - will take a listen to the instrumental offerings.  Dave

[George]

Ignore O'Conor and O'Rourke - two syrupy and slow for my taste. Benjamin Frith takes a far more educated and vibrant approach and the two discs are well worth acquiring.

Thanks for this recommendation, Holden. I bought the Field box set on Naxos and agree that Frith's Nocturnes are excellent.

[Holden]

Thanks for this recommendation, Holden. I bought the Field box set on Naxos and agree that Frith's Nocturnes are excellent.

Pleased you like them

The best set (not quite complete) never made it to CD.

[George]

Pleased you like them

The best set (not quite complete) never made it to CD.

This one, right?

I wonder if anyone has made a digital recording of the vinyl.

[SonicMan46]

Thanks for this recommendation, Holden. I bought the Field box set on Naxos and agree that Frith's Nocturnes are excellent.

Hi George - years ago, I bought into the Miceal O'Rourke recordings of the Concertos, Nocturnes, & Sonatas (total of 7 discs - 2 w/ the Nocturnes come in at only 45 min each, so likely the reason Frith gets all on 6 discs) - now I'm pleased w/ O'Rourke and just did a Spotify comparison of the two doing some of the Nocturnes - find them both good and O'Rourke's reviews have generally been excellent.  But you can answer a question concerning the Naxos box - is each CD in a separate jewel box or in thin paper sleeves?  Storage always an issue for me -    Thanks - Dave

[George]

Hi George - years ago, I bought into the Miceal O'Rourke recordings of the Concertos, Nocturnes, & Sonatas (total of 7 discs - 2 w/ the Nocturnes come in at only 45 min each, so likely the reason Frith gets all on 6 discs) - now I'm pleased w/ O'Rourke and just did a Spotify comparison of the two doing some of the Nocturnes - find them both good and O'Rourke's reviews have generally been excellent.  But you can answer a question concerning the Naxos box - is each CD in a separate jewel box or in thin paper sleeves?  Storage always an issue for me -    Thanks - Dave

Surprisingly, the Naxos has them in separate jewel boxes. It's 2.5 inches thick. Storage is always an issue with me, too.

[SonicMan46]

Surprisingly, the Naxos has them in separate jewel boxes. It's 2.5 inches thick. Storage is always an issue with me, too.

Thanks George - do I need to re-spend the $ when the O'Rourke's performances are fine w/ me - for me CPO has been the 'worst' offender for just putting jewel boxes together although I have Naxos doing the same w/ Villa-Lobos piano music (8 discs) & Barber's works (6 CDs).  Dave

[George]

Thanks George - do I need to re-spend the $ when the O'Rourke's performances are fine w/ me - for me CPO has been the 'worst' offender for just putting jewel boxes together although I have Naxos doing the same w/ Villa-Lobos piano music (8 discs) & Barber's works (6 CDs).  Dave

Haven't heard the O'Rourke, but the Naxos box is a great deal, great performances and sound. The Nocturnes are especially good.

[SonicMan46]

Haven't heard the O'Rourke, but the Naxos box is a great deal, great performances and sound. The Nocturnes are especially good.

LOL!    Back in 2007 in this thread, Holden said to 'ignore O'Connor & O'Rourke and get the Frith' - but around that time I was replacing the O'Connor et al w/ the Miceal O'Rourke recordings below (total of 7 discs); some reviews of his Piano Concerto box for those interested are attached - the reviews on the Naxos recordings are quite excellent - guess if I were choosing now, pricing would be a major determinant.  Dave

   

[staxomega]

Pleased you like them

The best set (not quite complete) never made it to CD.

Have you heard Elizabeth Joy Roe?

[SonicMan46]

Have you heard Elizabeth Joy Roe?

A 'new kid' on the block - she get's all of the Nocturnes onto a a single disc (beats my O'Rouke's double CD!) - a while back I listened to her on Spotify and was happy w/ her performance - some reviews attached, if interested.  At present, over $20 USD on Amazon USA (have not checked elsewhere) - would consider adding a one disc to replace two if the price were right.  Dave

[Holden]

Have you heard Elizabeth Joy Roe?

Yes, I have a while ago and remember being quite impressed. I'm relistening now and the one small doubt I had about the limited dynamic range still appears to be an issue. Would I recommend this recording to a first time listener - yes. Would I rate it above the Frith - no.

Roberte Mamou on Pavanne is better still but nobody beats Noel Lee in her incomplete LP for the Nonesuch label. Here is how the Nocturnes should be played - simply and without affectation which was the style of the time, remembering that Field was a contemporary of Beethoven and did most of his composing in the 'classical' era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l41FU41CGvk

[staxomega]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l41FU41CGvk

Oh yeah that is really good. I just did some back and forth with him and EJR in that Nocturne, she is how I remember, "beautiful", a bit on the darker/nocturnal side, not as much brio as that one. When I decided to buy her CD I thought she was clearly more interesting than John O'Conor who was just too straight laced.

Nonesuch LPs are a dime a dozen here, I'll definitely look to pick that up if I come across it.

[Holden]

Oh yeah that is really good. I just did some back and forth with him and EJR in that Nocturne, she is how I remember, "beautiful", a bit on the darker/nocturnal side, not as much brio as that one. When I decided to buy her CD I thought she was clearly more interesting than John O'Conor who was just too straight laced.

Nonesuch LPs are a dime a dozen here, I'll definitely look to pick that up if I come across it.

This thread pushed me to a decision and as a result I've ordered a virtually mint condition LP from a reputable UK outlet. It's going to cost me (the s&h is more than the LP) but what the heck. I will then get a company here on the Gold Coast to digitise it for me. The chances of this ever being released on CD are virtually nil. That said, my favourite version of the Chopin Preludes was recorded in the late 60s and to my surprise has finally been released on CD this year - 40+ years later.

[staxomega]

That said, my favourite version of the Chopin Preludes was recorded in the late 60s and to my surprise has finally been released on CD this year - 40+ years later.

This is Rafael Orozco? I quickly bought the CD after I streamed the full thing, definitely superb. I also really liked him playing Brahms Piano Sonata 3 but this is so far just digital download only, I am hoping for a CD.

I wouldn't put it past some of these niche recordings getting reissued, I never would have thought Kabi Laretei's recording of Ludus Tonalis (in my opinion the greatest performance of this) would have come but Eloquence did end up reissuing it a couple of years ago and in even better sound than my LP.

[Holden]

This is Rafael Orozco? I quickly bought the CD after I streamed the full thing, definitely superb. I also really liked him playing Brahms Piano Sonata 3 but this is so far just digital download only, I am hoping for a CD.

I wouldn't put it past some of these niche recordings getting reissued, I never would have thought Kabi Laretei's recording of Ludus Tonalis (in my opinion the greatest performance of this) would have come but Eloquence did end up reissuing it a couple of years ago and in even better sound than my LP.

Yes, it's the Orozco. While I could access it via Qobuz, I still bought a hard copy. The liner notes were very informative.

[Holden]

The Noel Lee LP arrived from the UK today. The cover is in very good condition and even better, the LP looks like it's never been played.

I'll take this to a company that converts LPs into digital format and ask for a .wav version. When I finally get this done I'd be happy to share the results for those who like Field's Nocturnes. I've got a 2LP box set of Louis Kentner doing the Liszt Hungarian Rhapsodies which I might get done at the same time.

Watch this space.

One interesting thing. I assumed that the umlaut over the e in Lee's given name meant that this was a female. Wrong!