Field: Piano Music Volume 1 (Nocturnes and Sonatas)

Born in Ireland, educated in England and adopted by Russia, John Field became one of the most famous pianists of the early 19th century. His elegance at the keyboard, and charm in his association with high society, made him an idol among the aristocracy of Europe. That grace also plays an important role in his piano compositions, a mood of gentle romanticism later to be taken up by Chopin. Though he was not the first to compose Nocturnes, he was certainly the first to develop the work later taken up by the great romantic composers. He composed eighteen, their mixture of delightful filigree and charming melodic invention, providing a source of immediate delight.

"Frith captures the benign tranquillity of these miniatures beautifully... Listen to the Nocturne in C minor as an example of Frith's keen sensitivity to balance and texture." BBC Music Magazine, Jan 2000

"another Naxos edition well worth collecting"
- Classic FM, Jan 2000

"Field's Nocturnes have long been historically pigeon-holed as mere prototypes for Chopin but Frith's eloquence presents them as highly original, finely crafted examples of early romanticism-significant pieces in their own right, as much as for their obvious influence on Chopin and a great deal of later, Russian piano music-the country that first saw their creation and success."
- The Advertiser (Raymond Chapman Smith), 9th Dec 1999