Alexander Dreyschock

Alexander Dreyschock (* October 15, 1818 in Žáky, † April 11, 1869 in Venice) was a Bohemian composer and piano virtuoso.

Life

Dreyschock was a pupil of Vaclav Tomasek January. At the age of eight, he appeared in public. After he had (including Germany, Holland, France, England and Austria ) traveled as a piano virtuoso for years throughout Europe, he settled down in 1862 in Saint Petersburg. He was its director of theater music school, court pianist and teacher at the conservatory. He was in his time as the most important piano virtuoso Franz Liszt and next to the Bumblebee students Sigismund Thalberg.

Dreyschock emerged as a composer of virtuosic salon music. Mention may be made three rhapsodies, the suite Soirée d' hiver, the Rondo brillant, an Impromptu en forme d'une Mazurka, a Great imagination and Concert Piece in C minor. His most important works are the D minor Piano Sonata of 1845 and the Piano Concerto in D minor of 1860.

His younger brother is the violinist Raimund Dreyschock, since 1845 second concert master alongside Ferdinand David at the Gewandhaus, teacher of violin at the conservatory.

Discography

• Dreyschock, Alexander: Piano Concerto in D minor ( Hyperion Records 1999 - The Romantic Piano Concerto 21