Chopin: The Complete Nocturnes Tom Hicks

• Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849): Nocturnes, Op. 9, B. 54:
• 1 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 9, B. 54: No. 1 in B-Flat Minor 05:41
• 2 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 9, B. 54: No. 2 in E-Flat Major 04:24
• 3 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 9, B. 54: No. 3 in B Major 06:25
• Nocturnes, Op. 15:
• 4 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 15: No. 1 in F Major, B. 55 04:03
• 5 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 15: No. 2 in F-Sharp Major, B. 55 03:20
• 6 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 15: No. 3 in G Minor, B. 79 05:25
• Nocturnes, Op. 27:
• 7 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 27: No. 1 in C-Sharp Minor, B. 91 05:08
• 8 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 27: No. 2 in D-Flat Major, B. 96 05:43
• Nocturnes, Op. 32, B. 106:
• 9 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 32, B. 106: No. 1 in B Major 05:08
• 10 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 32, B. 106: No. 2 in A-Flat Major 04:43
• Nocturnes, Op. 37:
• 11 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 37: No. 1 in G Minor, B. 119 07:48
• 12 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 37: No. 2 in G Major, B. 127 05:54
• Nocturnes, Op. 48, B. 142:
• 13 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 48, B. 142: No. 1 in C Minor 05:54
• 14 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 48, B. 142: No. 2 in F-Sharp Minor 07:43
• Nocturnes, Op. 55, B. 152:
• 15 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 55, B. 152: No. 1 in F Minor 04:34
• 16 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 55, B. 152: No. 2 in E-Flat Major 04:54
• Nocturnes, Op. 62, B. 161:
• 17 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 62, B. 161: No. 1 in B Major 07:43
• 18 Chopin: Nocturnes, Op. 62, B. 161: No. 2 in E Major 06:29
• Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1, B. 19:
• 19 Chopin: Nocturne in E Minor, Op. 72 No. 1, B. 19 03:53
• Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor, B. 49:
• 20 Chopin: Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor, B. 49 03:52
• Nocturne in C Minor, B. 108:
• 21 Chopin: Nocturne in C Minor, B. 108 03:04
• Total Runtime 01:51:48

Info zu Chopin: The Complete Nocturnes

Chopins 21 Nocturnes, oft als „Lieder der Nacht“ bezeichnet, gehören zu seinen bekanntesten und schönsten kurzen Solo-Klavierwerken.

Divine Art freut sich, die aufschlussreiche Neuaufnahme dieser Werke des Pianisten Tom Hicks präsentieren zu dürfen. Sie verbindet seine Forschungen zu Chopins Aufführungs- und Kompositionspraxis mit den Erwartungen moderner Hörer und bietet eine „atemberaubende technische Agilität“ (American Record Guide). Dr. Kim Sauberlichs exzellente Linernotes gehen tiefer auf diese oft vergessene Aufführungs-, Unterrichts- und historische Aufnahmepraxis ein und werfen zusammen mit den 21 Stücken auf diesem Album faszinierende Fragen zu Authentizität und Interpretation auf.

Chopins Praxis, Manuskripte an Verlage in verschiedenen Ländern zu schicken und gleichzeitig zu bearbeiten, führte zu zahlreichen authentischen Erstausgaben, die heute nur noch selten in Aufführungen und noch seltener in Aufnahmen zu hören sind. In dieser Aufnahme hat Tom einige dieser Varianten geschmackvoll integriert und dabei historisch fundierte Entscheidungen zu Tempo Rubato und Pedalismus getroffen. So entstand eine Version der Nocturnes, die frisch, individuell und authentisch wirkt. Er hat sogar kleinere und gelegentliche Improvisationen eingebaut, um dem vielschichtigen Schaffensprozess des Komponisten, in dem die Improvisation eine zentrale Rolle spielte, Tribut zu zollen.

Tom Hicks sagte: „All dies führte dazu, dass ich Chopin als einen äußerst kreativen und spontanen Musiker sehe, für den die Partitur eine Darstellung des Werks darstellt und für den die Partitur nur den Ausgangspunkt einer Interpretation darstellt, nicht das Ende.“

Das Album wurde nachts aufgenommen, und die Toningenieure haben eine intime Klanglichkeit eingefangen. Der Aufnahmeprozess basierte auf minimaler Bearbeitung und längeren Live-Aufnahmen, um die intime Atmosphäre des Salons, in dem diese Stücke am häufigsten zu hören waren, wiederzugeben.

Der auf Guernsey geborene Pianist Tom Hicks verfügt über ein umfangreiches Repertoire und wurde für sein „brillant stimmungsvolles“ (International Piano) und sein „wunderbar kreatives Spiel“ (Fanfare) gelobt. Er hat zahlreiche Preise und Wettbewerbe gewonnen und ist in der Wigmore Hall in London, der Bridgewater Hall in Manchester und vielen anderen Veranstaltungsorten in Europa und den USA aufgetreten. Dieses neue Album folgt auf seine im März 2022 erschienenen Alben, die sich um die Klaviersonaten von Liszt und Ireland sowie Camden Reeves’ „Blue Sounds“ drehen.

Tom Hicks, Klavier

Tom Hicks
a pianist originally from Guernsey, has been recognised for his distinguished artistry and technical command. Described as possessing “magnificent pianism” and an “engaging personality,” his performances have been noted for their “brilliantly evocative” interpretations (International Piano) and “gorgeously creative playing” (Fanfare). A Yamaha Artist, Hicks maintains an extensive and varied repertoire, performing as recitalist, concerto soloist, and chamber musician in major venues across Europe and the United States. These include appearances at London’s Wigmore Hall, Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, and numerous other respected concert halls.

Hicks has performed as concerto soloist on over 60 occasions, which most notably includes several cycles of Rachmaninoff’s complete works for solo piano and orchestra and several performances of the two Brahms concerti. He has earned acclaim in these and other performances of works by composers including Mozart, Beethoven, and Schumann for “depth and maturity” as well as “the technique and temperament to bring off the bravura passages with aplomb”.

His discography features a similarly wide-ranging repertoire. In 2019, Hicks released a recording featuring works by John Ireland and Tchaikovsky, supported by the John Ireland Charitable Trust. This recording received enthusiastic reviews in publications such as International Piano, Fanfare, Piano Journal, and Classical Music Daily. In 2022, he issued two further albums. The first, Liszt and Ireland Piano Sonatas (Divine Art), presents the major sonatas of these composers alongside works by Charles Stanford, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Rebecca Clarke. This recording was noted for its “consistent excellence” and its “commanding performance, balancing the dramatic with the intimate” (Musical Opinion, MusicWeb International). It was included in the American Record Guide Best of 2022 Critics’ Choice. The second, Blue Sounds (Métier), follows Hicks’ premieres of works by Camden Reeves, including Tangle-Beat Blues (2014), Nine Preludes (2016), and Blue Sounds (2019). His interpretation on this recording was commended for its “fluidity, authority, and musicality” (Textura). Hicks also appears on Augusta Read Thomas’ Grammy-nominated recording released by Nimbus Records.

His 2025 Divine Art release, Chopin: The Complete Nocturnes, has been hailed for its fresh, authentic interpretations that honor Chopin’s creative process. Jerry Dubins praises the tone he “draws from his piano...the sensitivity of his phrasing, and the subtleties of his voice-leading” while James Harrington writes that he “cannot imagine any other performances of these masterpieces that capture their essence any better than Hicks” (Fanfare).

In addition to his solo work, Hicks is an experienced chamber musician and accompanist. He has collaborated with ensembles including the Coull Quartet in performances of the piano quintets of Schumann, Brahms, and Dvořák, and performed Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring for two pianos with Eylam Keshet. His chamber music training includes coaching from Boris Berman, Hung-Kuan Chen, Leonard Elschenbroich, Mark Steinberg, and Ralph Kirshbaum.

Hicks received his early musical training with Mervyn Grand in Guernsey before studying with Murray McLachlan at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, with whom he continued at the Royal Northern College of Music and the University of Manchester. During this period, he was awarded the Royal Northern College of Music Gold Medal, the Peter Frankl Piano Prize, the Keith Elcombe Prize for Best Overall Performance, three Proctor-Gregg Performance Prizes, and the University of Manchester Faculty of Humanities Outstanding Academic Achievement Award. Hicks subsequently completed graduate studies in the United States, studying with Boris Berman at the Yale School of Music and with James Giles at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music, where he earned a Doctorate in Musical Arts in 2021. His studies were supported by awards including a Charles R. Miller Scholarship and Frances G. Wickes Fellowship at Yale, and an Eckstein Scholarship and Fellowship at Northwestern. He has been successful in various competitions, receiving gold medals at the Wales International Piano Competition, the EPTA UK Piano Competition, and the Croydon Concerto Competition.

In 2019, Hicks founded the Fanny Davies International Piano Series in Guernsey, where he serves as Artistic Director. The series has brought internationally renowned artists, such as Joanna MacGregor, Leon McCawley, Noriko Ogawa, and Alexander Panfilov, to Guernsey for concerts and masterclasses.

As an educator, Hicks has taught piano at Yale University, Northwestern University, and Whitman College. He currently holds the position of Assistant Professor of Piano, Director of the Piano Area, and Artistic Director of the International Piano Series at the College of Charleston.

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