Johann Wilhelm Wilms: The Piano Concertos, Vol. 2 in Bloomington, MN

Johann Wilhelm Wilms
was a German who moved to Amsterdam when he was 19; he was a pianist and composer (and more besides) who was known for a time as the Dutch
Beethoven
. He was the composer of the former Dutch national anthem, Wien Neerlandsch bloed.
Wilms
composed eight piano concertos, six of which survive; two later ones are offered here. He may have written them for his own use, and their most attractive feature is their idiomatic piano writing, rendered here nicely by fortepianist
Ronald Brautigam
on a copy by builder
Paul McNulty
of an 1819
Graf
instrument. The piano parts are lively and elegant in
Brautigam
's hands (he also edited the music), with ideal accompaniment from the historical-instrument
Koelner Akademie
under
Michael Alexander Willens
. The
Piano Concerto in E flat major, Op. 55
, despite
' own protestations, is clearly modeled on
's
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 ("Emperor")
, which
himself may have performed; he premiered works by
and
Mozart
in Amsterdam.
' concerto isn't
, of course, but again, the piano writing is engaging. Certainly the music here is crowd-pleasing (the album made classical best-seller lists in late 2022) and of great interest to those fascinated by the reception of
's music. ~ James Manheim