Apple Music Classical recently announced pianist Alice Sara Ott’s recording of John Field’s Complete Nocturnes as Album of the Year 2025.
Apple Music’s Classical Top 100 list combines five data sources from over 165 countries, including Apple Music Classical streams, Apple Music streams, iTunes downloads, iTunes song sales and Shazam tags.
“It’s so wonderful that so many people have fallen in love with the Nocturnes of John Field as I did, and I’m hugely proud that Apple Music Classical has helped so many people discover and enjoy this music. I’m deeply honoured,” Alice Sara Ott said.
Irish composer John Field (1782-1837) is the lesser-known “father” of the piano nocturne, which later became popularized by Chopin.
Alice Sara Ott’s album is the first recording of Field’s complete Nocturnes on Deutsche Grammophon and the first Dolby Atmos version to exist.
Anjali Malhotra, Apple Music Classical’s Global Director, added that “Apple Music Classical has redefined how audiences connect with great artists and their recordings. The 2025 list of most streamed albums offers a fascinating insight into what music lovers around the world are listening to, and demonstrates the platform’s truly global nature. The success of these recordings shows that our audiences are open to discovery and quality artistry transcends borders.
“Warm congratulations to Alice Sara Ott and all the artists who have connected with listeners worldwide through their exceptional recordings,” she concluded.
German-Japanese pianist Alice Sara Ott has performed with the world’s leading orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, Bayerischer Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester, New York Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
She has served as Artist in Residence at the TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht, London’s Southbank Centre and Radio France in Paris.
An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist in 2008, when she was only 19 years old, the pianist has worked with contemporary composers such as Ólafur Arnalds, Bryce Dessner, Chilly Gonzales, and Francesco Tristano, among others.
She has given the French, German, Belgian and Dutch premieres of Bryce Dessner’s Piano Concerto, which was written for her and premiered in Zurich Tonhalle with Kent Nagano.
Ott is also an illustrator and designer and has created a signature line of bags for JOST, a German fashion brand.