The Classical Piano Concerto – 1 Ulster Orchestra/Howard Shelley (piano)

Hyperion’s much-admired Romantic Piano Concerto series, launched in 1992, is currently at 63 volumes and counting. Romantic violin and cello concertos followed, and now, stepping backwards in time, it’s the turn of the classical piano concerto. Bohemian composer Jan Ladislav Dussek (1760-1812) was a touring virtuoso on the glass harmonica as well as the piano, and is said to have been the first player to place the piano side-on to the audience so that listeners could see his hands. The three concertos here (pre-1783, 1795 and 1810) show a shift from the world of Mozart into a realm with early signs of romanticism. The flavours may not be strong, but the blend is fascinating. Howard Shelley’s crisply articulated performances are sensitively supported by the Ulster Orchestra. url.ie/4qdb