Do you like John Field's piano music?

[chong777]

I listened to John O'Connor's playing and I like John Field's works. However, Chopin has carried nocturnes to a higher art form.

Do you like John Field's works? Who is your favourite pianist for his works?

[arensky]

Do you like John Field's works?

No.

[pianistimo]

I like John Field for his simplicity over Chopin - at least of what I've heard.  I think Chopin took off on Field's inclination for adding in a lot of chromaticism and changing harmonies and textures.  I don't know that much about John Field - but do have about four nocturnes that I printed off PF.  They are beautiful - and simple - but not as convincing as Chopin's.  Somehow, Chopin did the impossible.  Made his nocturnes more than just a nocturne.  Made them virtuosic, too.  Field's are not as virtuosic - but more 'Bachish' aren't they?  Not sure this is true - just asking.

Does Thibaudet play them?  He plays Chopin so well.

I see more similarity even between Field and Barber than Field and Chopin in the nocturnes.

[retrouvailles]

John Field's piano concertos and sonatas are actually very good pieces. Míċeál O'Rourke plays Field's music very well.

[jakev2.0]

No.

Agreed. But I probably would have a different opinion if Chopin was never born. 

[thalbergmad]

Field was not a natural composer and ideas did not appear to have exactly flooded through his pen. He often only composed when he needed to (upcoming concert) and his drinking did not assist in his later years.

Out of all of his works, i feel perhaps the concerto's are the most satisfying (or for me at least). I have read through all of them and have a particular liking for 1st, 5th & 6th. The sonatas are perhaps too "Clementistic" and the collection of rondos and variations composed to please the Russian nobility, perhaps are no longer attractive to modern ears.

His Nocturnes are a good stepping stone for those of Chopin.

Thal

[soliloquy]

A useless, uninnovative, uninspired and uninspiring B list romantic trash composer.

[thalbergmad]

Completely agreed.

The compositions of Stockhausen, Finnissy, Barrett & Xenakis have taken ear pleasure to a far higher level.

I am a converted man. To hell with the birth pangs of romanticism.

Thal

[retrouvailles]

Field isn't all that bad, but he doesn't even begin to compare to the likes of Hummel and some others.

[thalbergmad]

Long live Steibelt

[mephisto]

A useless.

No! He invented the genre of nocturnes, and we should all be glad about that.

[dnephi]

A truly useless composer might be Joachim Raff, but... no.  He wrote some very good music. 

However, I think Field gets just a bit too much credit for "inventing" the nocturne.  It's so radically different in Chopin's hand.

[thalbergmad]

Raff was pretty awful, but did some interesting transcriptions.

For complete crap, Leopold De Meyer and Blind Tom, must come close.

Thal

[counterpoint]

Completely agreed.

The compositions of Stockhausen, Finnissy, Barrett & Xenakis have taken ear pleasure to a far higher level.

I am a converted man. To hell with the birth pangs of romanticism.

Thal

 

[dnephi]

I'm not sure if I'd rather hear Reger or Field.  An interesting question.

[retrouvailles]

Reger is 100 times more interesting than Field in my opinion. Maybe not for his piano concerto, but for many of his solo works.

[soliloquy]

Completely agreed.

The compositions of Stockhausen, Finnissy, Barrett & Xenakis have taken ear pleasure to a far higher level.

I am a converted man. To hell with the birth pangs of romanticism.

Thal

Not all emotions are stereotypically pleasurable.

[thalbergmad]

True old chap

Thal