OORT, BART VAN - Dussek: Sonatas Vol.1 (Sealed) (CD)

The start of an exciting new project: the recording of the complete piano sonatas by Dussek! Johann Ladislaus Dussek (1760-1812) was born in rural Bohemia. He led a restless life, travelling Europe as a keyboard virtuoso and settling in several European capitals, notably Paris and London, where he became a fashionable pianist and teacher. His close connection to piano manufacturer Broadwood resulted in important innovations, notably the extension of the keyboard to 6 octaves. Dussek’s style is rich, harmonically expressive and pianistically challenging, Classicism on the brink of Early Romanticism. This first volume contains the sonatas Op. 10 Nos. 1-3 and Op. 31 No. 2 (these identical opus numbers are not the only thing which connects Dussek to Beethoven’s piano sonatas…). Each volume is played by a different fortepianist. Bart van Oort is the spiritual father of this ambitious project and gives the series a whirling start with impassioned and brilliant performances. He plays a Longman Clementi instrument from 1799, restored by Chris Maene. The booklet contains information on the composer, the works and the instruments used.