Eberl: Concerto for 2 Pianos & Sonatas for Piano 4 Hands

Album review

At the very beginning of the 19th century, many observers placed Beethoven and Anton Eberl’s (1865-1807) music for piano on equal footing. Unfortunately for Eberl, not only did fate get in the way as he passed away at the peak of his glory, aged only forty-two, but Beethoven kept on shooting for the height we now attribute to him, thus overshadowing the legacy of poor Eberl… But he left many interesting works, including this 1804 Concerto for 2 Pianos − written shortly after his return to Vienna, after a few years spent as a Kapellmeister at the czar’s court in Saint Petersburg −, which is more of a testament to his admiration for his master and friend Mozart than his cumbersome and imposing contemporary Beethoven. Paolo Giacometti plays on an original Mathias Müller fortepiano, built in Vienna around 1810, while Riko Fukuda plays on a Michael Rosenberger – also from Vienna – from the 1800s. Their album continues with two sonatas for piano duet dating back to the Saint Petersburg era, 1797 to be exact, and there is every reason to believe that they were conceived to be played in a duet with a high-level disciple, as a great didactic piece. It’s about time for this man and his impressive repertoire of over two hundred opus numbers to come out of limbo and into the light. © SM/Qobuz