Myslivecek: Complete Keyboard Works

The new focus on Bohemian classicism in the second half of the 18th century, manifested in recent recordings and articles in professional journals, has amply demonstrated the calibre of these composers and the quality of their music. Among them, Josef Myslivecek enjoyed considerable fame during his lifetime. The Six Divertimenti are single-movement compositions, and while probably intended as didactic, they are not sterile exercises for amateurs but exquisite pieces that satisfy the most discerning palates. The Six Sonatas are short but brilliant pieces, based on the galant style transmuted into a pre-classicism very akin to the Mannheim school, with energetic first movements with a symphonic flavour alternating with elegant and delicate minuets. His two his Wind Octets Op.1 in a contemporary solo keyboard transcription by Václav Vincenc Mašek. Myslivecek's writing features remarkable counterpoint, compressed by Mašek into an exemplary arrangement.