Credits:

Lewis, Henry / Solti, Georg

Description:

Jean Ladislav Dussek (or Jan Václav Dussek), born four years later than Mozart, emerged as a young man with an ancient instrument, and was very active in Hamburg as well as in Paris and London. In the 18th century, when his native Czech Republic was under Austrian rule, he gained fame as a brilliant pianist and a rare composer. Along with Clementi, who was slightly older than Mozart, and Beethoven, who was 10 years younger, he contributed greatly to the development of musical language at a time when the piano was evolving at a rapid pace. Even so, there are still relatively few opportunities for performances and recordings of his music. This album contains a comprehensive collection of his works written for four hands for four hands, which are still relatively rare. What is most impressive is the use of an original Pleyel piano from 1848, which still retains the sound of the first half of the 19th century. The duo with Richard Eger, a master musician who brings out the best of Nepomnyashchaya's talent from Russia, makes full use of the unique sound of the instrument of that time, which differs greatly from modern pianos, in many places, and the duo fully enjoys the various tonal expressions unique to historical instruments, from the pianissimo with its vivid wood vibration to the powerful forte. The duo's sound is very different from that of modern pianos, and they are able to fully enjoy a variety of tonal expressions unique to historical instruments.This is an excellent project, in which Dussec's fundamental strengths can be felt everywhere, as he had a perfect mastery of classical sonata diction and also showed great aptitude for old-fashioned polyphonic writing. The booklet commentary by Egger, the performer, which introduces the composer's life and works in a straightforward and detailed manner, is also a reliable source of information. Naxos Japan