Hummel’s Second Piano Concerto in A Minor Op. 85, composed in 1816, is an important composition that bridges the Classical and Romantic eras. Historically significant for its proto-Romantic style, it served as a primary model for later composers such as Frédéric Chopin, Felix Mendelssohn, and Robert Schumann.

Hummel picks up where Dussek left off, and clearly seeks the vicinity of Beethoven, who by then had already written his fifth and last piano concerto. Yet let it be said that Hummel also left his mark on Schumann and Chopin.

The Polish composer’s E-minor Piano Concerto op. 11 shows up glaring similarities with Hummel’s piece. Here the composer reveals his status as a wanderer along the interface of two eras, who succeeds in crossing borders in his A-minor Piano Concerto, thus putting him on a par with Weber and Schubert.