Moscheles Bolla

Beethoven’s student, Mendelssohn’s teacher: new recordings of major works by a seminal figure of early musical Romanticism.

Ignaz Moscheles (1794-1870) was born in Prague. In 1808 he settled in Vienna where he was a pupil of Albrechtsberger and Salieri - thanks to whose commendations he became adjunct Kapellmeister to the Court Theatre from 1811 to 1813. Beethoven was so impressed by him that he entrusted him with the piano transcription of Fidelio. The approval of Beethoven and the establishment of a friendship between them that would continue over time were pivotal in those years to launching the young musician into the stream of the international concert world. Moscheles was a key figure in the transition period between the generation rooted in classicism (Hummel, Field, Cramer, Kalkbrenner, etc.) and the early romantics. His musical language may be best compared to that of Mendelssohn, his pupil and friend.