The Dublin-born composer John Field (1782-1837) received most of his training in London with Clementi, in whose piano firm he became an apprentice as a teenager, but ended up settling in St Petersburg, living in Russia from 1802 until his death. His agile and artistic playing attracted much attention during tours throughout Russia and Europe, and he became a successful piano teacher, helping to establish what came to be known as the Russian school of piano-playing. Alcoholism undermined his health and he died at the age of 55 in Moscow.

Field is now remembered primarily as ‘the father of the nocturne’. He initiated the title and the style, in which a lyrical and often nostalgic theme in the right hand is supported by broken-chord figurations in the left. Loose form, thematic variation, filigree and contrasting themes also characterise the style. His influence on Chopin is obvious, and Schumann, Mendelssohn and Liszt also admired his music. His 18 nocturnes were composed between 1812 and 1835, mostly in Russia.

Alice Sara Ott brings to these pieces an expressive touch, subtle rubato, graceful left-hand fluidity and sparkling right-hand filigree. Although the musical and pianistic aspects of Field’s writing are much less arresting than Chopin’s, Ott manages to make each nocturne sound personal and distinctive. No 1 sets the expressive pattern but Nos 4, 11 and 12 seem the most interesting, with highly contrasting and fiery moments. No 12 closes with a clock striking 12, much like it strikes six at the end of Schumann’s Papillons. No 5 is unusually chromatic and No 7 exploits a particularly wide keyboard range.

Ott, whose previous recordings include impressive accounts of Liszt’s Transcendental Études and concertos by Tchaikovsky, Grieg and Beethoven, here reveals a more gentle and introspective side of her musical personality. The recorded sound is up to DG’s high standards and the booklet notes by Ott are detailed and informative. With music that is of more than historical interest, this is highly recommended.

This review originally appeared in the SPRING 2025 issue of International Piano