Aloys Schmitt: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 etc. (Hyperion Romantic Piano Concerto 84)

Featuring

Howard Shelley
Ulster Orchestra
Aloys Schmitt

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Composer Biography

Aloys Schmitt, the composer on this album, was born in Erlenbach am Main, Bavaria, and received his first musical training from his father, Franz Bartholomäus Schmitt, who was a school principal and organist.

Composition History

Aloys Schmitt composed over 100 works, including four operas, one operetta, two oratorios, masses, sonatas, rondos, overtures, string quartets, symphonies, four piano concertos, songs, and cantatas.

Composer Biography

Aloys Schmitt was acquainted with famous composers like Weber, Paganini, Liszt, and Chopin, and was friends with Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, and Louis Spohr.

Composer Biography

Aloys Schmitt was a respected pedagogue whose teaching method became known as the Schmitt school and was widely used.

Critical Reception

Chopin, after hearing Aloys Schmitt perform, criticized his music in a letter to his former teacher, Józef Elsner, saying it sounded "eighty-year-old music."

Performer Biography

Howard Shelley, the pianist and conductor on this album, has had a distinguished career since his London debut in 1971, performing worldwide and with major orchestras.

Critical Reception

Robert Schumann reviewed Aloys Schmitt's Rondeau brillant, Op 101, noting its connection to the Hummel school but suggesting it was outdated for its time of publication.