COMPOSERS: Dussek
LABELS: Hyperion
ALBUM TITLE: Dussek: Piano Concertos
WORKS: Piano Concertos in G, Op. 1; No. 3, in C, Op. 29 and in E flat, Op. 70
PERFORMER: Howard Shelley (piano & conductor); Ulster Orchestra
Having explored the byways of the Romantic piano concerto repertoire for Hyperion, the indefatigable Howard Shelley is now turning his attention to neglected examples of the genre from the Classical period. The three concertos by Dussek recorded here span a period of nearly 30 years, and while the early G major, Op. 1 No. 3 has its attractive moments, the two later works have more to offer. The Concerto in C, Op. 29 very unusually begins with a slow introduction whose theme reappears, rhythmically altered, at two points in the following Allegro. Even more ambitious is the E flat Concerto Op. 70 of 1810, which includes clarinets and a trombone.
Shelley plays all these pieces as stylishly as ever, and he is ably accompanied by the Ulster Orchestra. These pieces are a real find, and the disc augurs well for
the series. Misha Donat