No.27

JOHN FIELD 1782-1837

Virtuoso pianist and composer

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Born in Dublin, he made his concert debut at the age of nine, and two years later became a pupil of Clementi in London. The teacher used him to demonstrate Clementi pianos in his showrooms, and took him touring abroad.

When they arrived at St.Petersburg, Field decided to stay on there, and soon became the idol of Russian society.

His fame in the 19th century as a composer gradually waned, and we have to be reminded that it was he and not Chopin who invented the piano pieces known as Nocturnes.

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I’ve chosen two of Field's Nocturnes - first of all, No.2 in C minor, played by Dave Bartram.

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This is No.12 in G major. The pianist is not named.

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And finishing with one of Chopin’s masterpieces - Op.15 No.2, played by the Polish pianist Krystian Zimmerman.

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