Wilhelm Kalliwoda's Piano Concerto (1845)

[tpaloj]

Wilhelm Kalliwoda was the son of the better know Czech composer Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda. Wilhelm studied with Hauptmann in Leipzig, also taking some lessons from Mendelssohn. In 1849 at the age of 22 he settled in Karlsruhe first as conductor of the Catholic church choir, and later as music director of the Baden State Orchestra. He also worked as music teacher – his most famous students were Luise von Preußen and the German pianist and composer Luise Adolpha Le Beau.


Piano Concerto

Here is a reproduction of Wilhelm Kalliwoda's Piano Concerto made in Dorico with Noteperformer instruments. The manuscript of this work is complete but lacks a lot of finishing touches such as dynamic markings or slurs. Judging from the date 1845 on the manuscript this would have been composed when Wilhelm was only 18 years old – perhaps as a graduation piece from his studies in Leipzig?

I think the work displays the young composer's talent when writing for the soloist, though the orchestration is often lacking in comparison. Let me know what your impressions are.

YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/dUaeBesPcxU