Dussek, J.L.: Works for Piano 4 Hands

Chronique

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. The first movement of the Sonata in C major, Op. 48, which opens the disc, is like a Rossini overture with its humor and little moments of mock drama. The Larghetto begins with the theme in the bass, rather than the treble, for a more sober tone than the previous movement; and a brief, dramatic intermezzo prefaces the light-hearted rondo finale. The fugues are just as full of feeling, but still constructed with all the normal tools of fugal writing. Soós and Haag perform these works exceptionally, controlling the sound so that the textures do not become super-dense or that one part overpowers the other. Their sense of balance, phrasing, and timing is remarkably united, and the way they express the music is without pretense. The disc represents a chance to appreciate equally the quality of both the performance and the music.
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