Busoni: Piano Music, Vol. 2

Editorial Reviews
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Wolf Harden, a founder of the Trio Fontenay, is recording the solo piano works of the visionary composer and keyboard virtuoso Ferruccio Busoni. In Volume 2, Harden turns to the composer's earlier works, including the famous arrangement of Bach's Chaconne from the Violin Partita No. 2 for solo violin. It's long been a concert staple favored by Romantic pianists, but Harden acquits himself well, sculpting the statement of the theme with power and precisely articulating the work's many strands while bringing out the rich textures that saturate the piece. The other big work on the program is the Variations and Fugue on Chopin's Prelude in C minor. Here, the 19-year-old composer put the striking, but brief, Prelude through 18 permutations of dazzling virtuosity, encompassing moods ranging from leisurely lyricism to pianistic pyrotechnics, ending in a massive Fugue. Harden's excellent rendition makes you wonder why it's not programmed more often. The fillers are minor juvenilia, but Harden's commanding interpretations of the big works make this disc so appealing. --Dan Davis

Tracks:

Bach: Chaconne for solo violin, B24
Etude en forme de variations, Op. 17, K206
Variations on "Kommt ein Vogel geflogen," K222
Theme and Variations in C major, K6
Inno Variations, K16
Variations and Fugue on Chopin's Prelude in C minor, Op. 22: Theme and
Variations and Fugue on Chopin's Prelude in C minor, Op. 22: Fugue

Amazon.com

Wolf Harden, a founder of the Trio Fontenay, is recording the solo piano works of the visionary composer and keyboard virtuoso Ferruccio Busoni. In Volume 2, Harden turns to the composer's earlier works, including the famous arrangement of Bach's Chaconne from the Violin Partita No. 2 for solo violin. It's long been a concert staple favored by Romantic pianists, but Harden acquits himself well, sculpting the statement of the theme with power and precisely articulating the work's many strands while bringing out the rich textures that saturate the piece. The other big work on the program is the Variations and Fugue on Chopin's Prelude in C minor. Here, the 19-year-old composer put the striking, but brief, Prelude through 18 permutations of dazzling virtuosity, encompassing moods ranging from leisurely lyricism to pianistic pyrotechnics, ending in a massive Fugue. Harden's excellent rendition makes you wonder why it's not programmed more often. The fillers are minor juvenilia, but Harden's commanding interpretations of the big works make this disc so appealing. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

"Der Busoni".......2007-07-19

Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) was universally appreciated as a genius with the piano. His style of playing and the ideas he developed in his compositions enable him to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Godowsky as a transcendental pianist-composer. Yet today the name "Busoni" is too often linked, literally by a hyphen, with "Bach," owing to the many transcriptions Busoni created. There are countless recordings of these Bach transcriptions, but few actual volumes exist that explore Busoni's original music. Naxos has fixed this, and with the talents of Wolf Harden, Busoni's early piano works are unveiled and championed.

I'm sure there might be some recordings of these Busoni juvenilia pieces, but I couldn't pinpoint them; they are rare. Obviously the Bach-Busoni Chaconne has been done enough, but Harden doesn't shine in his execution. Compared to the artistry and passion of Kissin, Say, or Michelangeli, Harden's playing seems bogged down, rigid, and even emotionally detached. My five star rating is not affected by this, though, because Harden recovers with his wondrous interpretations of the other pieces. The "Etude en forme de variations" was written in 1884 and reveals Busoni's early contrapuntal mastery and Romantic idiom. Richard Whitehouse, the liner-notes writer, summarizes the work sufficiently as possessing a "studious, slightly melancholic theme... succeeded by eight variations, ranging from the grotesque to the elegiac..." Busoni's Variations on "Kommt ein Vogel geflogen" are based on a song that supposedly parodies various composers of the centuries. Busoni's variations are quite chameleonlike, imitating with much success the aesthetics of Scarlatti, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Chopin and Wagner.

The Variations in C major Op. 6 dates from 1873 and was written when Busoni was merely seven years old. It is admittedly light, yet somehow charming, and Whitehouse observes that the "vibrant finale recalls Beethoven's early sets of variations." Following this in 1874 is the Op. 12 "Inno variations," another ordinary work in which Whitehouse chooses to compliment the "limpid Schubertian quality of the initial theme." The principal work and true masterpiece here is Busoni's "Variations and Fugue on Chopin's Prelude in C minor Op. 22." Busoni later rewrote this work and edited its eighteen variations down to only nine. Fortunately, Naxos and Harden present the original eighteen variations and fugue (reaching 30 minutes) in all its glory. Comparable to Rachmaninov's Variations of the same Prelude, Busoni explores a vast range of pianistic devices, technical possibilities, compositional ideas, and emotional states. Unlike Rachmaninov, Busoni strives toward an intellectual quasi-meditative outcome, culminating in the mind-blowing fugue. David Dubal calls this epic work "masterly in style, a superb mixture of melodic, harmonic, and polyphonic variation technique. This rigorous work is piano writing of genius and should be better known."

Bottom line: Although the early Variations featured here lack the qualities of Busoni's deeper Elegies and Sonatinas, the "Etude en forme de variations" and massive "Variations and Fugue on Chopin" are impressive conceptions and titanic forces of pianism. The scholar and pianist Gunnar Johansen once said of Busoni: "He outshone all others. In Germany, we didn't speak of Mr. Busoni, we spoke of Der Busoni, as if he were a monument." Beyond the man himself, there is a monumental nature and magnitude in Busoni's "Variations and Fugue on Chopin" that will later recur in the majestic Fantasia Contrappuntistica and Piano Concerto.

Bach-Busoni: Piano Transcriptions, Vol. 2

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Excellent Busoni
Wonderful Playing

Bach-Busoni: Piano Transcriptions, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Demidenko Plays Bach-Busoni
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Samuil Feinberg: Bach Piano Transcriptions, Vol. 4
Bach Piano Transcriptions, Vol. 3
Bach Piano Transcriptsions, Vol. 6: Walter Rummel

ASIN: B00005Y0N7
Release Date: 2002-03-12

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Busoni's transcriptions of Bach organ works are among the glories of modern piano music, and all but doctrinaire followers of authentic period practice will enjoy them. Bach's music works well on the modern piano and Busoni's transcriptions add elements of color and fantasy that, however anachronistic, are fascinating to hear. Demidenko is a Russian-trained virtuoso with a monster technique who makes child's play of these often difficult pieces. He tears into the opening Fantasie (BWV 906) with abandon, produces an affecting Adagio (BWV 968) and a firmly articulated Fugue (BWV 906), which was seamlessly completed by Busoni. The big Prelude and Fugue (BWV 532) is thrilling, and the six Choral Preludes are lovingly done. The great violin Chaconne gets a big performance, too, fitting for a piece that Busoni metamorphosed into a cornerstone of Romantic piano literature. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Busoni.......2007-01-15

I agree with the previous reviewer about the chaconne, some might find it too slow. Especially if you are used to Kissin's performance. I personally think Demidenko's more unified treatment of the variatons is refreshing. He creates contrast through deep colorful poetry, and sheer power as opposed to using many parametric changes. In my opinion this interpretation is the perfect balance of romantic power and depth with Baroque form and character. On top of the performance alone, the Fazioli piano chosen has absolutely stunning soud quality and is perfect for Busoni.

Wonderful Playing.......2002-05-22

The real gems of this disk are the Chorale Prelude transcriptions. Demidenko plays these pieces beautifully, especially Durch Adams fall ist ganz verdebt and Jesus Christus Unser Heiland. One can really appreciate the beautiful sound of the Fazioli piano in these pieces in particular. My one reservation about the chorale preludes is 'Watchet Auf'. The only recording I know of that does this justice is Angela Hewitt's recording of Bach Arrangements(Kempff also doesn't do a bad job of this). The playing doesn't quite convey the spirit of this piece.

Demidenko also does a particularly good job of the Fantasia and the Chacconne, although some might find the Chaconne a little too slow for their liking. However don't get the wrong impression, Demidenko can break into great moments of power and speed. This is Demidenko's late romantic playing at its best.

He also gives a good account of the Prelude and Fugue BWV 532, although its not up to Gilels account of the same piece. Gilels manages to create a beutiful organ like sonority from the piano, and gets the tempo just right in each part. However Demidenko's faster fugue makes for a barnstorming interpretation.

Customer Reviews:

Chopin Solo Piano, Vol 1.......2007-01-04

I like this album! It opened new worlds for me, of great Chopin interpreters of long, long ago. I bought both volumes of the album by mistake, hoping to get a full album of Alexandre Brailovski's keyboard work. But I'm very pleased with the music. It should be noted I am not a musician of any kind and have a somewhat limited background in classical music. But a friend who is both a professional musician and quite knowledgeable in these matters says the recordings of these artists of bygone days are, well, priceless!!

Busoni: Complete Bach Piano Transcriptions, Vol. 1

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Busoni: Complete Bach Piano Transcriptions, Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Arts Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Bach Transcriptions for Piano

ASIN: B00004BZ10
Release Date: 2000-02-15

Tracks:

Chaconne in d (BWV 1004)
Praludium Und Fuge in e (BWV 533)
Praludium Und Fuge in E flat (BWV 552)
Toccata, Adagio Und Fuge in C (BWV 546)

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Introspective Piano, Take Two

A Recital of Intimate Works, Vol.2

Manufacturer: Dorian Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

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A Recital of Intimate Works
Andrew Rangell in Concert
Andrew Rangell - Beethoven Piano Sonatas
JS Bach Recital; Andrew Rangell, piano
Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs

ASIN: B00003OPAS
Release Date: 2000-01-11

Tracks:

Son in b, K.87
Intermezzo in b, Op.119, No.1
Menuet Sur Le Nom De Haydn
Allegretto in c
A Rose Breaks Into Bloom, Op.122, No.8
I Call Upon The Lord, BWV 639
Iberia: Evocation
Eleven Bagatelles, Op.119
Poeme-Nocturne, Op.61
Nocturne in B, Op.62, No.1
Intermezzo in e, Op.119, No.2
'Lord Of Salisbury' Pavane And Galliard
Menuett, K. 355
I Stand Before Thy Throne, BWV 668

Customer Reviews:

Introspective Piano, Take Two.......2000-02-08

I'm really glad to see (and hear) this CD, which is a follow-up to a collection that was so nicely programmed that I used to play it almost every evening for a few weeks. Now I have another CD as an after-dinner favorite. I knew the Brahms Intermezzos and Beethoven's Bagatelles, but many of the other pieces were new to me. All of the performances sparkle, and recorded sound is great.

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"To Godowsky the piano was the thing; to Busoni, the idea"

Busoni: Piano Music, Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Busoni: Piano Music, Vol. 2
Busoni: Music for Two Pianos
Busoni: Piano Music 3
Dukas: Complete Piano Music
Busoni: Piano Concerto

ASIN: B00005AYEK
Release Date: 2001-05-15

Tracks:

Toccata & Fugue in d, BWV 565
Prld & Fugue in c
An Die Jugend: I. Prld, Fughetta Ed Esercizio
An Die Jugend: II. Prld, Fuga E Fuga Figurata
An Die Jugend: III. Giga, Bolero E Vars
An Die Jugend: IV. Intro E Capriccio (Paganinesco)
An Die Jugend: V. Epilogo
Fant Contrappuntistica: Prld Corale
Fant Contrappuntistica: Fuga I
Fant Contrappuntistica: Fuga II
Fant Contrappuntistica: Fuga III
Fant Contrappuntistica: Intermezzo
Fant Contrappuntistica: Fuga IV - Stretta

Customer Reviews:

"To Godowsky the piano was the thing; to Busoni, the idea".......2007-07-21

Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) was universally appreciated as a genius with the piano. His style of playing and the ideas he developed in his compositions enable him to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Godowsky as a transcendental composer. Harold Schonberg proclaimed: "To Godowsky the piano was the thing; to Busoni, the idea." Yet today the name of "Busoni" is too often linked, literally by a hyphen, with "Bach," owing to the many transcriptions Busoni crafted. There are countless recordings of these Bach transcriptions, but few actual volumes exist that explore Busoni's original music. Naxos has fixed this, and with the talents of Wolf Harden, Busoni's piano works have a new and worthy champion.

Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" has been transcribed dozens of times by third-rate publishers and first-rate composers; Tausig, Reger, Friedman, and Grainger stand out from the rest. Busoni's treatment, however, is simply magnificent. The sublime melodic material of the toccata is what makes it a classic, and Busoni's extrovert transcription is thrilling, especially in the hands of the muscular Harden. While Busoni adheres faithfully to Bach's score and polyphonic writing, one can expect the usual pianistic reworking of octave-doublings and thicker textures, all in the service of increasing organ-like sonority. Busoni's early "Prelude and Fugue in C minor" shows influence from Bach and Busoni's contrapuntal mastery is ravishing. Harden plays the Prelude beautifully and suggests deep introspection, while the Fugue, for all its brevity, becomes magisterial.

The epic works that represent the body of this recording are "An die Jugend" and the "Fantasia Contrappuntistica." Busoni's awe-inspiring intellect and compositional individuality streams through in "An die Jugend," where, as Richard Whitehouse, the liner-notes writer observes, "transcription and composition merge in a synthesis of past and present..." The first "Preludietto" shows clever innovations with its "classical A major in the left-hand and a whole-tone Impressionism in the right hand." The fourth "Pagininesco" is the most profound of the set, fusing the aesthetic of Liszt with Busoni's temperament in dealing with Paganini's Eleventh caprice. In the fifth of the set, "Epilogo," Busoni embarks on a modulatory journey, and then through a whole-tone scale enters into atonality, effectively demonstrating "the development from Classical Tonality, through Free Tonality, to New Tonality."

Busoni's magnum opus is surely the great "Fantasia Contrappuntistica." While Busoni was working on his own edition of Bach's music, he had an idea to use one of Bach's unfinished fugue subjects from the "Art of Fugue" (Contrapunctus XIX). In addition to working with this he also used the Bach chorale, "Allein Gott in der Hoeh sei Ehr," but it is overwhelmingly more complicated than this. In six significant "movements" of this 30 minute polyphonic tapestry, Busoni takes the listener on an incredibly difficult but utterly magical voyage. Kenneth Derus has made an interesting analysis of this work and points out that some have called this towering composition "literally 'unhearable,' except perhaps by professional musicians armed with annotated scores." Having been acquainted with John Ogdon's performance of this, I knew what to expect: all-encompassing tonality, busy polyphonic writing, symmetrical inversions and complex treatment of fugue subjects. Harden actually surprised me in this work. He projects crystalline and dynamic clarity, and thus allows this cerebral mammoth to breathe. Harden can also boast absolute emotional and mental endurance, as in the Stretta, where he unfurls climactic power and velocity. For those new to this music, be forewarned that it takes many hearings to appreciate its complexities, and yet I think it has the power to be gripping on a single listening.

Bottom line: Busoni compresses a wealth of ideas into every page of his compositions. There is music here that could keep a music theorist busy for years and music lovers contented for decades. Some of Busoni's most highly original works can be found in this Volume. The treasure trove of "An die Jugend" speaks for itself, while the "Fantasia Contrappuntistica" is a phenomenal document of contrapuntal ingenuity and intellectual strength. Wolf Harden joins the small list of performers able to not only cope with the technical demands, but also deliver the full gamut of expression behind Busoni's labyrinthine work.

Bach/Busoni: Piano Works Vol 2 / Pietro Spada

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Bach/Busoni: Piano Works Vol 2 / Pietro Spada

Manufacturer: Arts Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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Busoni: Complete Bach Piano Transcriptions, Vol. 1
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring: Favourite Piano Transcriptions [Australia]

ASIN: B00004BZ11
Release Date: 2000-02-15

Tracks:

Toccata Und Fuge in d (BWV 565)
Praludium UNd Fuge in D (BWV 532)
Choral Prlds: Komm, Gott, Schopfer, Heiliger Geist (BWV 631)
Choral Prlds: Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns Die Stimme (BWV 645)
Choral Prlds: Nun Komm, Der Heiden Heiland (BWV 659)
Choral Prlds: Nun Freut Euch, Liebe Christen Gmein (BWV 734)
Choral Prlds: Ich Ruf Zu Dir, Herr Jesu Christ (BWV 639)
Choral Prlds: Herr Gott, Nun Schleuss Den Himmel Auf (BWV 617)
Choral Prlds: Durch Adams Fall Ist Ganz Verderbt (BWV 637/705)
Choral Prlds: In Dir Ist Freude (BWV 615)
Choral Prlds: Jesus Christus, Unser Heiland (BWV 665)

Great Pianists of the 20th Century: John Ogdon, Vol. 1

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An iconoclast pianist!
BURN-OUT
The Titanic Ogdon
The Good and the Bad of Ogdon's Playing
A "Must Have" for the keyboard lover. Shattering brilliance.

Great Pianists of the 20th Century: John Ogdon, Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Clifford Curzon
Claudio Arrau
Mikhail Pletnev
Benno Moiseiwitsch
Shura Cherkassky

ASIN: B00000I0LJ
Release Date: 1999-02-09

Tracks:

Piano Sonata No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 36: 1. Allegro agitato
Piano Sonata No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 36: 2. Non allegro - Lento
Piano Sonata No. 2 In B Flat Minor, Op. 36: 3. L'istesso tempo - Allegro molto
Piano Sonata No. 4 In F Sharp, Op. 30: 1. Andante
2. Prestissimo volando
Concerto pour piano seul (12 Etudes dans les tons mineurs Op. 39): 8. Allegro assai
Concerto pour piano seul (12 Etudes dans les tons mineurs Op. 39): 9. Adagio
Concerto pour piano seul (12 Etudes dans les tons mineurs Op. 39): 10. Allegretto alla barbaresca

Tracks:

Variations And Fugue On Prelude In C Minor
Piano Concerto, Op. 39: 1.Prologo e introito
Piano Concerto, Op. 39: 2.Pezzo giocoso
Piano Concerto, Op. 39: 3.Pezzo serioso
Piano Concerto, Op. 39: 4.All'italiana
Piano Concerto, Op. 39: 5.Cantico

Customer Reviews:

An iconoclast pianist!.......2006-02-17

The egregious figure of John Ogdon was a determining factor in the new generation of young musical promises who aroused after the WW2. He possessed technique, temperament and tune , the famous three "T" in what excel pianism concerns. His sudden attacks and emotional outbursts conferred still more a vivifying splendor to the score he played.

Liszt, Alkan and Busoni were the most related composers for his febrile personality. Consider this legendary interpreter among the five most pyramidal pianists, inside a list composed by Myra Hess, Solomon, Clifford Curzon and John Lill.

BURN-OUT.......2004-03-16

The tragic story of this prodigiously gifted and very unworldly musician is moderately well known. He simply could not say no. He would carry on giving encores for hours on end. He would pursue any musical lost cause and learn and perform the most unbeguiling modern works, while still pounding out renditions of the Tchaikovsky, Liszt and Grieg warhorses `because one enjoys playing them so much', as I heard him say in a broadcast interview. I think he played more works in a single season than Michelangeli and Serkin played in their entire lives. He was a prolific composer into the bargain, but the most pitiful aspect of the whole saga is the wince-making story of the punishing concert schedule he took on to pay for better suites of furniture and other manifestations of his wife's seeming desire to be some kind of Hyacinth Bucket.

It was all bound to end in tears, and it ended in worse than that. He suffered a breakdown in 1973 while still in his 30's but continued pushing himself beyond endurance. The reliability of his playing became, not unnaturally, a little unpredictable, but if one thing is for certain it is that he got through a lot of output. I am reminded of a phrase in the old Latin liturgy about one of the Jesuit saints `consummatus in brevi explevit tempora multa' - burned up in a brief space he achieved many lifetimes. Trying belatedly to know his work better, I find one thought growing on me. Of pianists born in the 20th century there are six, I do not say which, who stand out for me by virtue of an extraordinary and pre-eminent individuality. There is no seventh, but if there were a seventh for me it might well be Ogdon. I am only half in agreement with the view that he did not live to establish a fully distinctive manner. Horowitz and Michelangeli both, Horowitz showing at least basic courtesy Michelangeli a great deal less, disparaged a new generation of near-indistinguishable assembly-line virtuosi. What I do feel is that this set does not quite show why I might exempt Ogdon from this category.

The technical dispatch is colossal. Ogdon placed his massive frame on the piano stool and any movement was from the elbows downwards, recalling to me some accounts of Handel's playing. I am not bothered in the slightest by a misplayed chord in the Alkan - good heavens try assessing Horowitz or Richter on that basis. The Rachmaninov sonata has to face comparison with Horowitz and it comes badly out of it. It is full of fire, drama and virtuosity, but there is far too much pedal and one appreciates just how savvy Horowitz was. He gets into his stride with the short Scriabin sonata and stays in it from there on. In the Alkan the obvious comparison is with Ronald Smith, but as Professor Smith uses an instrument contemporary with the composer the comparison is tricky and probably a bit pointless. What does start to identify something really unique in Ogdon here is the sense of continuity and unremitting concentration in the first movement, nearly half an hour of it. The BBC have a performance from him of Schubert's C minor sonata that is the greatest I have ever heard, better than Lupu and far better than Zacharias, and if you ever hear that amazing account of the last movement, seemingly played as one huge phrase, you may see and hear what I mean. I find something of the same here in the Alkan.

The biggest thing on this set is obviously Busoni's tyrannosaurus of a concerto. For me this is what Horowitz called `kleine Grosskunst', full of wind, sound and fury signifying not much. If I could even recall the other performances that I have heard of it I should not be surprised to find Ogdon's the best, and I am certainly not in search of better. The general pattern is as before - terrific virtuosity, but in a piece where the actual music does nothing for me the playing does not quite do the trick for me either as, say, Michelangeli's does for me in Liszt's almost equally unalluring Totentanz. In Ogdon's memory I hope the BBC may sometime release a performance of Liszt's E flat concerto from him, in which he seemed to me to rival Cziffra and maybe even Michelangeli himself. I have had enough glimpses of what he really amounts to for me to want to get to know more.

Rest well now, big guy, if anyone ever tried his outright hardest you did. The world is a better place for what you put into it.

The Titanic Ogdon.......2002-07-07

Philips great series of the "Great Pianists" has seen fit to devote 2 two-CD volumes to the titanic English pianist John Ogdon who died in 1989. This volume and the second one are must-haves for anyone who is interested in great pianism. The Rachmaninov 2nd sonata was originally released by RCA in the 60's. I still have this vinyl record, and the performance, in my opinion, is only outshone by Horowitz' 1968 live performance on Columbia (Sony). (When will somebody re-release the 1st Rachmaninoff sonata? Surely the best performance of that work ever put on record). Ogdon's lyricism is alternated by his thunderous sonority when the music calls for it. The Alkan is a classic recording. The performance of this piece is astonishing. The Scriabin is mesmerizing. Finally the Busoni is the real reason to get this recording. Quite simply still the best Busoni concerto ever put on record. The piece takes repeated hearings to digest but the time is well worth the effort. Ogdon's masterful control is evident throughout. If you want to hear the playing of a fantastic artist and musician, get this and the other volume of Ogdon in the Great Pianist Series. You won't go wrong.

The Good and the Bad of Ogdon's Playing.......2000-10-24

It is fairly well accepted that pianist John Ogdon is one of the greatest musical talents and potentials of this century. This particular compilation, however, does not do very much justice to his skills. First in line, his recording of the Alkan concerto is very fuzzy and spontaneous in sections. The sound quality is no better than decent, and Ogdon is definitely not at the height of his technique here. From the harsh opening statement of the first movement to the missed chord in the opening of the last movement, one gets the impression that Ogdon did not put as much time or thought into the process that all pianists must, the process of realizing the shape of the work and how to make that shape interesting, but not radical. Probbably included on this disc for reasons regarding Alkan's often overlooked importance, this recording is not a very specail one, lacking the sound structural clarity of Gibbons or the bombastic virtuosity of Hamelin. After this long session of confused musical intention, we move to a very redeeming recording of Scriabin's popular 4th sonata in F# Major. The first movement is beautifully played; Ogdon's tone is very airy and delicate. Once we move to the "very fast and flying" second movement, Ogdon's rythmic playing and aviodance of strong accents move the piece along very smoothly. The coda remains very exciting, even after repeated listenings, though his treatment of the final two measures are somewhat out of the brilliant context of the massive sound he achieves earlier. Ogdon's Busoni concerto is very sound, and the finale is beautifully complimented with a much more prominent male chorus than in most performances (as Busoni specifically noted that the chorus was to be literally hidden from view and only suggestive in importance to the solo opportunities of the orchestra). This is defenitily the steak of this set, and it is niether underprepared nor overdone. The true music enthusiast, however, should dwell on more important recordings by Ogdon, such as his performance of Sorabji's titanic Opus Clavicembalisticum. Ogdon's love of the neglected and obscure is much easier to picture after listening to this set, but his amazing virtuosity and technical prowess is not done justice here, especially in the Alkan.

A "Must Have" for the keyboard lover. Shattering brilliance........1999-04-19

John Ogdon was one of the centuries most interesting pianists. An artist of spectacular technical capacity, he was also one of the great musical explorers. His performance of Charles-Valentin Alkan's astounding Concerto for Solo Piano would make these CDs worth having all by itself. That this compilation also includes his performance of Busoni's Concerto for Piano & orchestra makes for an embaressment of riches. On 2 CDs one has a compendium of all of the best of Ogden's art. Do not pass this one by.

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London Calling
Sequenza21/ The Contemporary Classical Music Weekly

Busoni The Visionary, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Centaur
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Busoni the Visionary / Busoni, Slotchiver

ASIN: B0006BGX4A
Release Date: 2004-11-30

Tracks:

Sonatina
Sonatina Secoda
Sonatina Ad Usum Infantis Madeline M. Americanae pro Clavicimbalo Composita
Sonatina In Diem Nativitatis Christi MCMXVII
SonatinaBrevis. In Signo Joannis Sebastiani Magni
Sonatina Super Carmen
Preludio
Adagio
Fuga

Customer Reviews:

London Calling.......2005-03-29

The visionary Busoni is perhaps, for the unindoctrinated, more readily accessible from his writings than in his music. I might even substitute `ascetic' for `aesthetic' in several instances where I experience occasional bewilderment at the restraint concealing deep matters (though expressed with a supreme command of traditional technique) - the "deceptively calm surface " which conceals cross-references. A quest for the `essence' of music must traverse both familiar and unfamiliar lands. "If ... he demands of his hearers that they shall learn his new idiom with as much sweat and anxiety and as many sleepless hours as he has given to its formation he will have to overcome the almost personal hatred his demands are bound to engender." (Busoni in `Down among the dead men' Bernard Van Dieren. OUP, 1935)

If the essence remains elusive surely a quest for the `visionary' in Busoni is less difficult today than when that was written? Regrettably it is more than likely that the listener envisaged by Van Dieren will remain apathetic rather then react with any kind of protest, or bewilderment. Busoni's music, which expects much of its listeners, may not be for the layman who simply `knows what he likes' but is it really so obscure and unfathomable?

This second disc of Jeni Slotchiver's survey of the `visionary' in Busoni traverses both territories. The first CD grouped the `Six Elegies'. - for this she has chosen the six pieces for which the composer chose the title `Sonatina'. The term generally would refer to a short uncomplicated piece in three or four movements - light-weight, and perhaps a preparatory creation for the larger more serious Sonata form. Quoting `Musical America' the pianist's notes for this CD read: "in this Sonatina (referring to the first which has no other title) the composer may have regarded himself as the beginner or founder of a new system of harmonies." It is perhaps true that `sonatina' has also, implicit in the title, a didactic aspect - and it is significant that, in this work, the source material comes from the earlier `An die Jugend' - a composition not intended for children to play, but to learn as "visionary sketches of aspects which in his belief music was to assume - and dedicated them `To Youth' which would see the full growth." (Van Dieren, op. cit.)

The semplice opening of this single movement Sonatina is strangely captivating, almost childlike in its appeal. The canvas broadens until the quiet fughetta subject is heard. "The music leaves an earthbound harmony of sure footing" writes the pianist, "to seaworthy and with dizzying embroidery, certain flight". The Allegretto elegante provides a quasi-Scherzo. In the concluding section the theme reappears and the final Epilogo is taken verbatim from `An Die Jugend' which Ronald Stevenson calls `the essence of Busoni'. Busoni himself, in a letter to his wife (March 1910) writes "Come follow me into the realm of music ... here there is no end to the astonishment ... unthought of scales extend like hands from one world to another."

The Second Sonatina (1912) is by contrast a demanding work of extreme virtuosity - with neither key nor time signature - and is essentially a work of complex mysticism. Its origins lie in the uncompleted music of `Faust'. It `contemplates worlds beyond our own" with directions like occulto and opaco.

The third Sonatina, `ad usum infantis' ("encapsulated innocence") has a youthful idea in view: "a sonatina for a child that has the air of a child" and adds to the title `pro cembalo composita' which, since the tone of the modern piano is implicit in the style of the music, has given rise to much controversy. The five movements end with an elegant Polonaise.

The Sonatina `in diem nativitatis Christi' was written for his son Benvenuto and appears, says the pianist, to be the composer's plea for peace.

The fifth, as its name implies, is the shortest work on the disc.

The penultimate work is taken from the 7th volume of Busoni's editions of Bach's keyboard works and is a version of the Fantasia and Fugue (BWV 905). It represents, says the pianist, "Busoni's signature on his completed effort".

Finally Busoni turns his attention to the music of `Carmen'. But this is no pot-pourri of tunes from the show, nor an operatic paraphrase. The conception is Lisztian drama in condensed form and Busoni infuses something of the demonic into what ultimately is a disconcerting experience.

The final item is the monumental transfiguration (in performance - for Busoni made few emendations to the original) of the C major organ Toccata of Bach (BWV 564) The culmination of the Preludio and the peroration of the Fugue, have such grandeur in performance such as this that the resonance of the woodpipes and the 32 ft stops are for the moment forgotten.

Jeni Slotchiver is an ardent disciple of Busoni - her playing is authoritative and the recorded sound excellent. Her advocacy is contained in 26 pages of closely printed notes - and it seems sometimes that the music illuminates the notes rather than the other way around. It is a persuasive performance - and one looks to the next disc with considerable interest.

Colin Scott-Sutherland

Sequenza21/ The Contemporary Classical Music Weekly.......2004-12-01

No one plays Busoni's piano music with greater clarity or depth of understanding than Jeni Slotchiver. As she demonstrated in Volume I of this series, this is music she clearly loves and understands both intellectually and intuitively. There is no finer, or more committed, advocate for this greatly underrated composer working today. - JERRY BOWLES, Editor, Sequenza21/ NYC

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My Desert Island Rubinstein CD

Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 68

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Fugues | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00005427P
Release Date: 2001-08-07

Tracks:

Vn Partita No.2, BWV 1004: Chaconne
Prld, Chorale & Fugue: Prld
Prld, Chorale & Fugue: Chorale
Prld, Chorale & Fugue: Fugue
Pno Son in b, S. 178: Lento Assai
Pno Son in b, S. 178: Andante Sostenuto
Pno Son in b, S. 178: Allegro Energico
Pno Son in b, S. 178: Stretto Quasi Presto
Vals Oubliee No.1
La Plus Que Lente (Valse)
O Polichinelo (Prole Do Bebe, Book I, No.7)

Customer Reviews:

My Desert Island Rubinstein CD.......2001-10-27

The program in Volume 68 of RCA's Complete Arthur Rubinstein Collection is uncommonly well balanced to demonstrate that the pianist's musical sympathies went far beyond Chopin and Brahms.

Rubinstein considered Ferruccio Busoni's arrangements of J. S. Bach's music to be the ideal transference of Bach's musical thought to the modern piano. This, Rubinstein's only recording of the Chaconne, was recorded in 1970. The pianist moves through the shifting moods of Bach's variations smoothly, characterizing the contrasting episodes while maintaining the basic pulse. Anyone who thinks Rubinstein did not possess a rock-solid piano technique need only listen to this performance as proof of the pianist's abilities. He can match his younger colleagues finger for finger, and tonally he can't be beaten. Unlike, say, Kissin, Rubinstein is able to push the piano to its dynamic limits, without ever creating a harsh sound.

If I had to choose one solo recording to demonstrate Rubinstein's gifts as a pianist and interpreter, it would be this version of Franck's Chorale, Prelude & Fugue, also recorded in 1970. Basically, the key to bringing this difficult piece to life lies in the careful balancing of totality and detail. Despite his posthumous reputation as a "Romantic" pianist, Rubinstein was essentially concerned with the big-picture, musically speaking. By avoiding the temptation to point out certain details in Franck's piano writing, the framework of the piece emerges more clearly. Rubinstein, at 83, plays with all the brilliance heard on earlier versions, and with even greater structural control.

I don't think Rubinstein loved Liszt the way he loved Chopin or Brahms. Although he performed Liszt's mammoth Sonata virtually from the beginning of his career, he did not record it until 1965, when he was 78. There are three basic approaches to this work: Demonic, Narrative, or Structural. Rubinstein unhesitatingly chooses the latter course, with just a dash of the previous two. This performance does not have the frisson or diabolical qualities of Horowitz' legendary 1932 recording. Nor does it have the ineffectual mooning of Watts' unfortunate 1985 version. Nor, thankfully, is it sterile, as is Pollini's recording. Rubinstein plays the Sonata as a SONATA, not as a balancing act between orgies of speed and sentimental interludes. The music gains from Rubinstein's approach, which is reasonably brilliant, warm, and coherent. Also included on the CD is Liszt's Valse-oubliee, along with the Sonata Rubinstein's only stereo recording of Liszt's solo music.

Rubinstein was playing Debussy's music when it was hot off the press, and La plus que lent was a great favorite is his. The Villa-Lobos O Polichinelo was long associated with the pianist, and was the last piece he ever played in public. It makes an effective encore here.

RCA's remastering preserved Rubinstein's unique tonal qualities, and has greater dynamic impact than previous issues.

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