Alice Sara Ott (piano) / Mon 19 Jan
John Field Nocturne No 17 in C major
Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata No 19 in G minor Op 49 No 1
John Field Nocturne No 1 in E flat major; Nocturne No 2 in C minor; Nocturne No 4 in A major; Nocturne No 10 in E major
Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata No 30 in E major Op 109
Interval
John Field Nocturne No 14 in G major; Nocturne No 16 in C major; Nocturne No 9 in E minor
Ludwig van Beethoven Sonata No 14 in C sharp minor Op 27 No 2 ‘Moonlight’
John Field did not originally assign numbers to his nocturnes, and due to the variety of sources and editions, there is no definitive ordering or numbering. The numbers we’ve used are based on the F Liszt edition published by J Schuberth & Co in 1859.
Biography
“She’s shaking up classical music” – so wrote The New York Times of a pianist renowned not only for the poetry, refinement and emotional honesty of her playing, but for her innovative approach to programming and audience engagement. A visionary musician, Alice Sara Ott continually reimagines the repertoire, creating immersive multimedia experiences through cross-disciplinary collaborations with visual artists, architects and designers.
Exploring and experimenting have long been part of the German-Japanese pianist’s approach to her work. When touring the music from her 2021 Deutsche Grammophon album Echoes Of Life, for example, she collaborated with architect Hakan Demirel, whose digital video installation added a visual narrative to her live performances.
In 2023 she became the face of the Apple Music Classical app when she starred in its multi-platform video launch campaign, performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Karina Canellakis.
That Beethoven performance subsequently featured on her next album for DG, with whom she signed as an exclusive artist in 2008. Since then she’s become one of the world’s leading classical performers on DSPs, with a total number of album streams that has now topped half a billion.
Alice is a truly global artist – highlights of past and future seasons include tours of Europe, the US and Asia, and a performance as part of the spectacular 14 July 2022 Concert de Paris, beneath the Eiffel Tower. She is Artist in Residence at the TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht in the 2024/25 season, bringing her versatile artistic projects to the Netherlands. This follows successful residencies at London’s Southbank Centre and Radio France in Paris during 2023/24.
Alice is also the first choice for many leading contemporary composers when it comes to premiering and recording their work. This has led to exciting collaborations with Ólafur Arnalds, Bryce Dessner, Chilly Gonzales, Francesco Tristano and more. In January 2024 she gave the world premiere of Dessner’s Piano Concerto, going on to give further acclaimed country premieres in the UK, US and France, with more to follow.
Another recent highlight was her debut with the New York Philharmonic in April. In an interview she gave The New York Times shortly before this, she underlined the importance of connecting with her listeners: “Music itself can only fully blossom when we unite in it. We have to be vulnerable. That is one of the most beautiful sources of togetherness and strength.”
A talented illustrator and designer, Alice fosters her versatile image by merging classical music with fashion, jewellery and tech. She’s worked closely with such leading international brands as Technics; JOST bags (Germany); French jewellery house Chaumet, part of the LVMH group; and German jeweller Wempe.
New Album
For her latest Deutsche Grammophon album, pianist Alice Sara Ott goes back to the origins of the nocturne. While this genre is often associated with Chopin, it was pioneered, if not invented, by the lesser-known John Field. Ott’s recording of his 18 Nocturnes celebrates the music of the man known as the “father of the nocturne”. Not only is this the first full cycle to be issued on DG, it is also the first ever to benefit from the immersive sound of Dolby Atmos. Alice Sara Ott: John Field · Complete Nocturnes was released on 7 February 2025.
As Ott explains in the notes she has written for the album, Field was born in Dublin in 1782 and studied in London with Clementi, making a name for himself as a virtuoso pianist while also working (for Clementi) as a piano builder and salesman. In 1802, Field accompanied his master on a trip to Russia. There he stayed, establishing a successful career as a performer, teacher and composer before his death in Moscow in 1837.
He applied the singing quality he brought to his pianism to the pieces he christened “nocturnes”, after the Italian notturno, drawing inspiration from Italianate opera and Russian folk music.
After his death, the fame he had enjoyed in his day began to wane and his output, which also includes keyboard concertos, sonatas and many individual piano pieces, among other works, largely faded from the repertoire.
His lyrical, freely imaginative, often intimately expressive nocturnes were, however, to prove hugely influential on the next generation of Romantic composers, one of whom – Fryderyk Chopin – would take the genre to even greater heights.
“Engaging with Field’s nocturnes was a deeply rewarding experience,” concludes Ott. “Their beauty and grace affected me profoundly and enriched my life while I was preparing for this recording. I hope that this album may perhaps inspire the occasional listener to discover Field’s music for themselves. Here, after all, is the man who bequeathed the nocturne to posterity.”
In addition to the album, Ott has collaborated with director (and world-renowned tenor) Andrew Staples to create a 45-minute film shot at the German virtual production house Hyperbowl in
Munich. The film immerses viewers in Alice’s imagination and her connection to Field’s music, offering a rare glimpse into the artist’s mind during the creative process.
