Hummel, Dussek & Onslow: Piano Quintets

The Dutch classical music magazine 'Luister' (March 2007) awarded this CD with top marks: 10

"This disc presents major piano quintets of three central European composers: Hummel, Dussek, and Onslow. Their work is situated in the transition period from the Classical to the early Romantic. All three composers made their way up to the courts of Vienna, Paris, or London, and were very successful at the time.

The sound of this recording is quite impressive too; the level of detail is amazing, and the spatial depth is compelling. The engineers at Brilliant know their job very well. This is a very valuable release. Presented with an interesting booklet (with pictures), this disc will be very hard to beat if you’re looking for an original performance of some great music." FANFARE: Bart Verhaeghe

Dussek: Piano Concertos

"Jan Ladislav Dussek…was one of the very first touring virtuoso pianists and a composer of works for his instrument. One of the most fascinating aspects of his piano concertos is their remarkably close kinship to Beethoven…Dussek seems to have absorbed Beethoven’s penchant for dramatic outbursts and flourishes while retaining individual touches of his own…The Adagio of the second concerto is pleasant…the finale, also in the minor key, reveals the composer’s Czech roots. 

Andreas Staier’s performance in this concerto is appropriately dramatic and lyrical in turns, and Concerto Köln works hand-in-glove with him. It is an exceptionally good period orchestra, playing with an outstanding sense of musical line and a fine control of dynamics. This is an interesting and welcome rerelease." --Fanfare, July 2012