Jan Ladislav Dussek was an important composer of music for the modern piano, bridging the Classical and Romantic eras, yet most of his music is hard to find, both in performance and in print. This disc by Adrienne Soós and Ivo Haag is the first recording of four of his works for piano, four hands, and it demonstrates Dussek's thorough understanding of the piano. In the three sonatas and set of three fugues, one can hear just why his writing is often compared to that of later composers Beethoven and Schubert. In general, Dussek's writing is richer in texture and feeling than most Classical keyboard music, and it sounds completely idiomatic to the instrument. He was one of the first composers to use pedal markings, and he carefully used modulation, relating specific keys to moods. All of this is here. These sonatas have melodies that are almost Schubertian and developments that are Beethoven-like.
To Leopold Koželuh, rival and successor of Mozart, one essentially owes the abandoning of the harpsichord in favour of the pianoforte, and to Dussek / Dusík the advent of the modern piano. The second was erred only by being right too soon and writing avant-garde music before the pre-eminence of Liszt. It remains to grant them the place that they deserve for this instrument (34 piano Sonatas for Dussek), and in the sphere of forgotten piano duets.
Bohemian-German composer Jan Ladislav Dussek, 10 years older than Beethoven and a major influence upon him in the realm of keyboard music, is known mostly for that keyboard music and for his chamber music with keyboard. This set of three string quartets from late in his career has apparently never been recorded before. Dussek confidently asserted to an English publisher that "they are neither in the Stile of Mozart, of Haydn, nor that of Pleyel, they are in the Stile of Dussek, and I hope will make some noise in the Musical World."
Haydn described Dussek as "the most honest, politest and most excellent man among all composers". Dussek worked as a composer and performer in London and wrote many works for the piano. He was a friend of the piano maker John Broadwood and persuaded him to add another octave to the instrument. Staier performs on such an instrument from 1806.
These days Erno Dohnanyi (1877 - 1960) is most likely best remembered as a long ago famed pianist, and composer of Variations on a Nursery Song, Op. 25, its huge orchestral introduction leading to the simple statement of the nursery song by the piano. Intricate variations follow. There is more to Dohnanyi than this single piece, as Slovakian label Pavlik Records have discovered with their series of his solo piano works. Now they have alighted on his two piano concertos. The First, in E Minor, Op. 5, premiered in Vienna, played by the composer with the Vienna Philharmonic in 1899. It was a finalist in a competition run by the Bosendorfer piano company. The Second, in B Minor, Op. 42 is a far more compact piece. Dohnanyi gave it a premiere performance in Sheffield in 1947 with Sir Thomas Beecham conducting. Pavlik Records go to pianist, Ladislav Fanzowitz excels in these two little known works, receiving great support by the Slovak State Philharmonic Kosice conducted by Zbynek Muller.