Divine Art Announces The Complete Chopin Nocturnes from Pianist Tom Hicks

Featuring rarely heard performing editions blending historical and modern approaches to interpretation

In his Divine Art label debut, pianist Tom Hicks was praised for his “formidable technique” (Musical Opinion) and “highly stimulating” (American Record Guide) program of Liszt and Ireland Sonatas. Divine Art is thrilled to announce his second release of an insightful new recording of the Complete Chopin Nocturnes coming 8 August 2025.

Tom Hicks’ research into the history of Chopin’s development of the Nocturnes explores how Chopin’s practice of sending manuscripts to publishers in multiple countries while continuing to edit led to multiple authentic first editions. In this recording, Hicks has compiled these multiple first editions into a version of the Nocturnes which feels wholly new, featuring variations rarely heard in performance and even less in recordings. 

Alongside revelations of Chopin’s embellishments and variants, Hicks blends Chopin’s approach to interpretative considerations (such as phrasing, tempo, rubato and pedalling) with modern performance practices to create a sonically new performance of these works. As liner note author Dr. Kim Sauberlich says, “The lesser-known historical perspectives… encourage listeners to think critically about contemporary perspectives on the singular and authentic musical work, ultimately honoring Chopin’s creative musical labors and unique approach to publication and improvisation.”

Track List:

Disc 1

1. Nocturne No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 9 No. 1 5:41
2. Nocturne No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 9 No. 2 4:24
3. Nocturne No. 3 in B major, Op. 9 No. 3 6:25
4. Nocturne No. 4 in F major, Op. 15 No. 1 4:03
5. Nocturne No. 5 in F sharp major, Op. 15 No. 2 3:20
6. Nocturne No. 6 in G minor, Op. 15 No. 3 5:25
7. Nocturne No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 1 5:08
8. Nocturne No. 8 in D flat major, Op. 27 no. 2 5:43
9. Nocturne No. 9 in B major, Op. 32 No. 1 5:08
10. Nocturne No. 10 in A flat major, Op. 32 No. 2 4:43
11. Nocturne No. 11 in G minor, Op. 37 No. 1 7:48
12. Nocturne No. 12 in G major, Op. 37 No. 2 5:52

Disc 2

1. Nocturne No. 13 in C minor, Op. 48 No. 1 5:54
2. Nocturne No. 14 in F sharp minor, Op. 48 No. 2 7:43
3. Nocturne No. 15 in F minor, Op. 55 No. 1 4:34
4. Nocturne No. 16 in E flat major, Op. 55 No. 2 4:54
5. Nocturne No. 17 in B major, Op. 62 No.1 7:43
6. Nocturne No. 18 in E major, Op. 62 No. 2 6:29
7. Nocturne No. 19 in E minor, Op. posth. 3:53
8. Nocturne No. 20 in C sharp minor, Op. posth. 3:52
9. Nocturne No. 21 in C minor, Op. posth. 3:04

About Tom Hicks

Hailed as an artist of ‘magnificent pianism’ with an ‘engaging personality’, Guernsey-born pianist Tom Hicks has been praised for his ‘brilliantly evocative’ (International Piano) and ‘gorgeously creative playing’ (Fanfare). Hicks has an expansive repertoire and has appeared as recitalist in venues such as The Wigmore Hall in London, The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, and in many other venues throughout Europe and the United States. He has appeared as concerto soloist on more than 60 occasions, including complete cycles of the Rachmaninoff and Brahms Piano Concerti. Hicks is a gold medallist in competitions including the Wales International Piano Competition, the EPTA UK Piano Competition, and the Croydon Piano Concerto Competition.

In 2019, Hicks released a recording of John Ireland and Tchaikovsky, supported by the John Ireland Charitable Trust. The CD has been celebrated by critics writing for magazines including International Piano, Fanfare, Piano Journal, and Classical Music Daily. Two further recordings were released in 2022. The first, for Divine Art, Liszt and Ireland Piano Sonatas, features those monumental sonatas alongside music by Charles Stanford, Samuel Coleridge Taylor, and Rebecca Clarke. Hicks’ playing of ‘consistent excellence’ and the ‘commanding performance, balancing the dramatic with the intimate’ on this disc have been praised by Robert Matthew-Walker and John France in Musical Opinion and MusicWeb International. This disc was also selected in the America Record Guide Best of 2022 Critics Choice. The second 2022 release for Métier, Blue Sounds, follows premières of Camden Reeves’ Tangle-Beat Blues in 2014, Nine Preludes in 2016, and Blue Sounds in 2019. Hicks has been recognised on this recording for his ‘playing distinguished by fluidity, authority, and musicality’ (Textura). Hicks also appears on Augusta Read Thomas’ latest GRAMMY®-nominated album for Nimbus Records and will release a recording of the complete Chopin Nocturnes in 2025 with Divine Art.

Tom Hicks is a recipient of the Gold Medal Award and Peter Frankl Piano Prize from the Royal Northern College of Music, and the Faculty of Humanities Outstanding Academic Achievement Award, the Keith Elcombe Prize for Best Overall Performance, and three Proctor-Gregg Performance Prizes from the University of Manchester, having graduated with the highest degree mark ever awarded from the Department of Music. He was also awarded a Charles R. Miller Scholarship and Frances G. Wickes Fellowship at Yale University and an Eckstein Scholarship and Fellowship at Northwestern University. He has enjoyed chamber music coaching from Boris Berman, Hung-Kuan Chen, Leonard Elschenbroich, Mark Steinberg and Ralph Kirshbaum.

As a teacher, Hicks has taught piano at Yale University, Northwestern University, and Whitman College. He is currently Assistant Professor of Piano, Director of the Piano Area, and Artistic Director of the International Piano Series at the College of Charleston. He is a Yamaha Artist.

For more information, please visit www.tomhickspianist.com or follow on instagram (@tomhickspianist) or facebook (/tomhickspianist).