Míċeál O'Rourke is an
Irish pianist who is best known for his recordings of works by
John Field
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Second Ep ...
.
Born and raised in
Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
, O'Rourke obtained a degree in music from
University College, Dublin
University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...
. Shortly after graduation, he moved to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
where he has lived ever since.
[''The Irish Times'', "]Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
not top of his Liszt
Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic period. With a diverse body of work spanning more than six decades, he is considered to be one of the most pro ...
", 2 November 1999 On 12 December 1976 he gave his first public recital in France, playing an all-Chopin programme. He studied piano under
Marcel Ciampi
Marcel Paul Maximin Ciampi (29 May 1891 – 2 September 1980) was a French pianist and teacher. He held the longest tenure in the history of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and also became head of piano classes at the ...
, a pupil of
Debussy
Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...
.
O'Rourke has increased the availability of John Field's works considerably through his recordings of all the piano concerti, sonatas, and nocturnes.
In 1994, O'Rourke was awarded the
Chopin Medal by the Fryderyk Chopin Society of
Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
in recognition of his "outstanding Chopin playing".
[''Drogheda Independent'', "Distinguished pianist O’Rourke in concert", 22 November 2006]
Recordings
*''Chopin - Four ballades, Grandes polonaise brillante, Polonaise-fantasie'' (1995)
*''Debussy - Preludes and Estampes'' (1992)
*''Field - 4 Sonatas'' (1992)
*''Field - 16 Piano Pieces'' (1994)
*''Field - Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2'' (1994)
*''Field - Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 5'' (1996)
*''Field - Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 6'' (1995)
*''Field - Piano Concerto No. 7, Divertissement Nos. 1 & 2, Rondeau, Nocturne No.16, Quintetto'' (1996)
*''Field - The Complete Nocturnes'' (1988)
*''Pinto - Piano Music'' (2000)
*''Schumann - Kreisleriana and Carnaval'' (1995)
*''Field - Nocturnes''
References
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
21st-century Irish classical pianists
{{classical-pianist-stub