Kikuko Ogura 《The World of Fortepiano》 16th

　Jan Radislav Dusek was internationally active in the turbulent Europe of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Dusek, who was a florid pianist of what we now call "good looks," became a hot favorite and took the world by storm. He also influenced subsequent Romantic composers.
　Born in Bohemia, Dusek traveled to Holland, Russia, France, and England, where he enjoyed the favor of the royal families of each country. In Paris, he was favored by Marie Antoinette and became her piano teacher. Incidentally, the common concert style today is to place the piano sideways on the stage, but it is reported that Dusek, who boasted a beautiful profile, originated the practice by placing the fortepiano sideways. When the French Revolution broke out, Dusek, a royalist, fled to London. He became popular there as well, and became heavily involved in piano production, for example, encouraging the Broadwood Company to expand the range of its pianos.
　The Broadwood fortepiano, manufactured around 1800, had a range of five and a half octaves (F1~c4), as requested by Dusek, and contributed greatly to the birth of piano music in the new era of the Industrial Revolution. Dusek was a pianist with magic fingers, whose virtuosity was spectacular, and he was successful in many concerts. In this concert, Dusek will perform his chamber works composed during that period, including chamber music with horn and flute trio, which were very popular in Paris, with period instrument virtuosos.