Dussek: Piano Concertos Op. 1/3, 29 & 70 (Hyperion Classical Piano Concerto 1)

Featuring

Howard Shelley
Ulster Orchestra
Jan Ladislav Dussek

Did you know?

1/7

Cultural Impact

Dussek's structural innovation, where the soloist introduces new thematic material, became standard in the early Romantic concerto and influenced composers like Weber, Chopin, and the Schumanns.

Composer Biography

Dussek was a favorite of Marie Antoinette in Paris and later fled to London with the onset of the French Revolution, where he remained for eleven years.

Compositional Technique

In many of Dussek's later concertos, the soloist introduces new primary and secondary themes not heard in the orchestral opening, creating a distinct world for the soloist.

Compositional Technique

Dussek seems to have been the first composer to omit the cadenza from his piano concertos, a traditional gesture that most other composers would later follow.

Instruments

While in London, Dussek collaborated with the Broadwood piano manufacturing firm to extend the range of the piano from five to five-and-a-half octaves, and later to six.

Compositional Technique

Dussek's harmony includes a wider variety of chords and is considerably more chromatic than that of Mozart, Haydn, and even Beethoven, often resembling later composers.

Composer Biography

Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812) was a late classical/early romantic piano virtuoso and composer whose career exemplifies one of the first 'international musicians', traveling and performing across Europe.