FRANCISZEK LESSEL (1780-1838): Piano Concerto in C, Op. 14, IGNACY FELIKS DOBRZYNSKI (1807-1867): Piano Concerto in A Flat, Op. 2.

Description: After a sprinkling of solo piano and chamber works, mostly on the Polish Acte Préalable and Dux labels, we finally get a pair of concertos from these Polish composers. Both concertos are late Classical in style, dating respectively from 1801 and 1824. Lessel's themes are lyrical and song-like in the slow movement, with a mazurka-rhythm finale. Dobrzynski's approaches early Romanticism but is even more interesting since he and Chopin were students of Jozef Elsner at the same time and there are several textural and rhythmical similarities in Chopin's F minor concerto which, since Dobrzynski's was already extant when he wrote it, suggest that Elsner may have encouraged Chopin to model his first concerto on his elder colleague's. These are live recordings from the 2009 and 2010 "Chopin and his Europe" Festivals in Warsaw. Sinfonia Varsovia; Howard Shelley (piano).