It is well known that Chopin first patterned his Nocturnes after John Field’s pioneering works in this genre. While Chopin ultimately cornered the Nocturne market, so to speak, a modest Field revival has taken place, on disc at least. John O’ Conor’s first Field disc became an unexpected best seller, while Benjamin Frith and Miceal O’Rourke recorded their own superb Field Nocturne cycles. Stefan Irmer now enters the field (pun definitely intended!) with the first seven Nocturnes, two different editions of the E minor Nocturne, three individual pieces that are Nocturne-like, plus three selections where Irmer transforms Field’s ideas into improvisatory jazz- and tango-tinged pieces of his own.
Irmer’s way with Field is more insistent and aggressive than his colleagues. You’ll get the idea when you compare the lilting grace and transparency of O’Conor and Frith in the Second Nocturne to Irmer’s dynamic urgency and propulsive left hand, or when you measure Irmer’s animated momentum throughout No. 3 alongside Frith’s delicacy and restraint. On the other hand, Irmer’s clunky, heavy-handed phrasing of No. 4 kills the very music that Myra Hess’ old recording brought to poetic life. However, in No. 6 Irmer’s lyricism and dynamic heft successfully merge.
I find Irmer’s jazzed-up Field paraphrases somewhat forced and not terribly inventive. His samba treatment of Nocturne No. 1’s main theme only lasts a minute yet seems to go on forever belaboring its point. Irmer conjures up Sergio Mendes’ multi-meter cover version of The Beatles “The Fool on the Hill” by casting Nocturne No. 2 in seven-four time. The turgid textures and repetitive harmonic noodling sometimes veer off into that notorious 1970s pop hit “Feelings”. If you want to hear Nocturne No. 5 as played by a cocktail pianist who aspires to be Bill Evans yet cannot rise above his own workaday melodic clichés, play track number 15. That said, any classical pianist who ventures outside his or her comfort zone to compose or improvise publicly has my respect and admiration.
