John Field - Piano Music Vol.1

JOHN FIELD (1782-1837)

PIANO MUSIC VOL.1

Nocturnes and Sonatas

Benjamin Frith

Frith is a sorcerer-the piano sings under his fingers--one almost hears the instrument draw breath between phrases. One hears the influence of Donizetti and Bellini, and the piano "sings" a real legato line, nuanced just the way a singer would do it. Frith is the perfect pianist for Field's prophecies of Chopin. This music would not be as beguiling played by an artist less attuned to its particular sort of sensitivity. I've heard a lot of other performances of this repertoire that don't begin to do show it for what it really is. It's like hearing a routine performance of, say, "Casta diva" that merely accounts for what's on the page, and then hearing Callas lavish her artistry on the same aria. Suddenly the intelligence and musical and dramatic instincts of the artist makes what seemed pedestrian spring to vivid life. The recorded sound is warm and natural