Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812) was a composer-virtuoso esteemed by Haydn, from the same generation as Beethoven but far more travelled, feted in salons and palaces from London to St Petersburg. The four sonatas on this disc all come from different periods: The earliest (Op.5 No.3 in A flat) dates back to 1788, the threshold of the French Revolution, while the last (Op.61 in F sharp minor) was composed in 1807, in the midst of the turmoil of the Napoleonic Wars. The B flat major Sonata Op.24 reflects Dussek's time in London, and Op.43 in A major the period of his hasty departure from London, abandoning his young wife in London and fleeing to Hamburg to avoid his creditors, notably including Lorenzo da Ponte.
Works:
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Dussek, J L: Piano Sonata in A major, Op. 43
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Dussek, J L: Piano Sonata in B flat major, Op. 24
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Dussek, J L: Piano Sonata No. 24 Op. 61 in F sharp minor 'Elegie Harmonique'
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Dussek, J L: Piano Sonata, Op. 5, No. 3