Jan Ladislav Dussek

Jan Ladislav Dussek was one of the earliest virtuoso pianist/composers—the first to sit with his profile to the audience, the first to indicate pedalling in his scores and the driver of improvements to the piano in collaboration with Broadwood in London and Érard in Paris. Born in 1760 in Bohemia, he became a leading pianist and teacher, and travelled far and wide across Europe, becoming a favourite of both Catherine the Great in St. Petersburg and Marie Antoinette in Paris. He later spent a number of years in London and then moved back to France, where he worked for the powerful foreign minister Talleyrand, before obesity and gout led to his death in 1812. Dussek’s piano music exploits all the performance possibilities offered by the developing instrument. A number of his works have been recorded by the English pianist Michael Dussek, who claims possible descent from Jan Ladislav, and a striking Messe solemnelle has recently been rediscovered and performed.