One of the leading composers of the Classical and early Romantic eras, Vaňhal played a vital role in the development of Viennese music between 1750 and 1780, composing prolifically in many genres, including a large number of quartets, symphonies, sacred works, vocal and instrumental works. Vaňhal was at his most inspirational and improvisational in his keyboard Capriccios composed in the 1780s, which are some of the most creative examples of the Viennese Classical style, not least in their almost symphonic force.

Listen to an excerpt from Capriccio III in F Minor,
‘Dolente’ - No. 3: Allegro

TROIS CAPRISES POUR CLAVECIN OU FORTEPIANO,
OP. 31, CAPRICCIO I IN F MAJOR
(CLEMENTIS & SILENTIS)

CAPRICCIO II IN G MINOR (AMOROSO)

CAPRICCIO III IN F MINOR (DOLENTE)

TROIS CAPRISES POUR LE CLAVECIN OU FORTE-PIANO, OP. 36 (ALSO PUBLISHED AS OP. 7 AND OP. 15)
(ALSO PUBLISHED AS OP. 7 AND OP. 15)
CAPRICCIO I IN G MAJOR

CAPRICCIO II IN E FLAT MAJOR

CAPRICCIO III IN G MINOR

TOTAL TIME: 79:58

Keyboard performer Michael Tsalka has won numerous prizes and awards throughout his career. A versatile musician, he performs solo and chamber music repertoire from the Early Baroque to Contemporary on the modern piano, harpsichord, fortepiano, clavichord, square piano and chamber organ. Michael Tsalka performs throughout Europe, the U.S.A., Canada, Asia, and Latin America. Recent engagements include performances for the Boston Early Music Festival, the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing, the Bellas Artes Theatre in Mexico City, the Hermitage Festival in St Petersburg, and interviews and live performances for radio stations in Hong Kong, Chicago, Buenos Aires and Jerusalem. Tsalka often presents master-classes and lectures around the world. He was a faculty member at the Esther Boyer College of Music (Temple University) and the Escuela Superior de Música, National Centre for the Arts in Mexico City. Currently, he teaches early keyboards at Lilla Akademien in Stockholm and is a visiting professor at Celaya Conservatory in Guanajuato, Mexico.