Busoni: Piano Concerto, Op. 39

Track Listings

1. I. Prologo E Introito (Allegro, Dolce E Solenne)

2. II. Pezzo Giocoso (Vivacemente, Ma Senza Fretta)

3. III. Pezzo Serioso: Intro (Andante Sostenuto, Pensoso)

4. III. Pezzo Serioso: Prima Pars (Andante, Quasi Adagio)

5. III. Pezzo Serioso: Altera Pars (Sommessamente)

6. III. Pezzo Serioso: Ultima Pars (A Tempo)

7. IV. All' Italiana (Tarantella) (Vivace; In Un Tempo)

8. V. Cantico (Largamente)

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Back when the film Shine was popular, Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto became all the rage as a work making nearly suicidal demands of its soloist. But one mountain of challenges to the virtuoso you're not likely to encounter in live performance is the Piano Concerto of Ferruccio Busoni. Its dimensions are Guinness Book material: Lasting over 70 minutes and cast in five epic movements, it not only uses a gargantuan orchestra but calls for an invisible male chorus singing a mystical hymn of stunning beauty in the finale. But the concerto isn't just about grandiosity. Its complex, symbolic architecture gives the work a searching intensity more akin to the trajectory of a Mahler symphony. In his preoccupation with synthesizing elements from North and South, incorporating contrapuntal complexity and flowing Italianate lyricism, introspective gloom and fevered excitement, Busoni sounds something like a character out of Thomas Mann.

Canadian pianist Marc-André Hamelin--who has made a specialty of neglected masterpieces--performs with a tremendous range of expression and theatrical flair, clearly holding his own against the earlier celebrated account of John Ogdon. The sui generis nature of the piece requires an unusually high degree of sensitive interaction from the conductor. Mark Elder shows a magnificent grasp of Busoni's architectonic sensibility and his sculpting of musical space, as well as of the score's kaleidoscopic orchestration. Busoni may be bidding farewell to an entire tradition here, but it's his over-the-top originality that is likely to captivate you. --Thomas May

Tracks:

I. Prologo E Intro: Allegro, Dolce E Solenne
II. Pezzo Giocoso: Vivacemente, Ma Senza Fretta
III. Pezzo Serioso: Andante Sostenuto, Pensos
IV. All' Italiana: Vivace
V.Cantico: Largamente, Piu Moderato

Customer Reviews:

Surprise yourself with this unique recording!.......2007-02-23

I have perceived Busoni's piano concerto as a magnificent work for the orchestra, with piano as one of its instruments. Piano does get many solos, but it spends much time either accompanying the orchestra as a whole, or other instruments from the orchestra, or playing just one out of many orchestral voices.
There are five movements of great beauty in which both the orchestra and piano shine. In the fifth movement a men's chorus is added, with a splendid effect.
The idea of an orchestra with a piano as one of its voices is great. It works well. The best-remembered piano solos are the thunderous ones, but there are others, which are poetic and impressionistic.
The orchestral part, with piano in it, is what I liked the best. The piano solos were never long enough to get me out of the orchestral mood. As for Mr. Ohlsson's performance, I give him the highest mark for being a perfect member of the orchestra. He stood out only when called for. This piano concerto is one of the most difficult ones, I understand, probably reflecting the fact that Busoni was an extraordinary piano virtuoso.
It is historic that Mr. Ohlsson, who in his youth was a winner of the Busoni competition, should play it. I would love to hear the live performance of this piece, as I suspect that its grand sound cannot be adequately experienced in my living room.
As for the length of the concerto, which is ca. 70 minutes, I did not feel that it was that long. I felt that Busoni was building up each movement, without the resolution. Thus, one is naturally listening for the next movement. The most beautiful is the last movement with a men's chorus. After much drama of the last movement, the concerto comes to an abrupt end.
I am dying to know the words of the text that the chorus is singing to. I was able to find out only that the text comes from the Danish poet and playwright Adam Gottlob Oehlenschlager, from his "Aladdin".
I have read numerous music critics, who made an effort to criticize and find things wrong with Busoni as a composer. I even found one music scholar who is apparently getting tenured and promoted by criticizing Busoni and analyzing to death what is wrong with Busoni's musical structures and forms. I liked Busoni's music just as it is, and I think that you will too.
Surprise yourself with this unique recording!

Thinking Big.......2006-04-12

For those who have not had the pleasure of hearing a rare live performance of Ferruccio Busoni's Piano Concerto Opus 39, this magnificent recording of pianist Garrick Ohlsson with Christoph von Dohnanyi conducting the Cleveland Orchestra and Men's Chorus will come as a satisfying experience! Busoni's epic work is rarely performed, as it is lengthy at 72 minutes, demands large supporting forces, and calls for a pianist with not only stamina but also commitment to the grand scale of the work.

Ferruccio Busoni is not widely heard in the concert hall, so should the reader not have a clue as to what this piano concerto is like, think Bruckner, Wagner, Mahler, and early Schoenberg in piano concerto format and the image comes into focus. This is Romanticism of the highest degree with indulgences that border on excessive. But at the same time there is some exquisite orchestral writing as well as some fiendishly difficult piano writing, all balanced by the surging power most felt in the slower movements and the final movement which, like Mahler, calls for choral punctuation.

Garrick Ohlsson seems just the right pianist for the work. While he is best known for his survey of all the piano music of Chopin, he is a brilliant technician capable of making a big sound and yet equally at home with the gentler poetic moments. von Dohnanyi collaborates with Ohlsson with tremendous sensitivity to line and scale and the Cleveland forces shine like Rhinegold! This is one of those odd pieces that may take a few exposures to appreciate, but if you ever wondered just how far Romanticism would have gone if unchecked, this work is up there with Schoenberg's 'Gurrelieder', and from this listener that is high praise. Grady Harp, April 06

Great listening.......2006-02-06

The Busoni concerto should be known, in my opinion, as being up there with the best of the genre rather than infamous for being long and huge. There are plenty of delightful and memorable moments and tunes throughout; the work is never cold or austere in its scale, as a few 19th-century symphonies can tend to be. If you break the 72-minute work down into movements and subjects it is actually a very digestible piece, long, yes, but also warm and spirited and memorable. Ohlsson's playing of the piece is great and his kind of big-boned approach is suitable for such a large-scale work. I've heard a small sample of Hamelin's and it sounded very good, but a bit too virtuosic where Ohlsson's was more monumental and exalted. Although he wrote some nice chamber music, in my mind Busoni would be similar to Godowsky, mostly a "transcription guy," were it not for this brilliant and wonderful piano concerto that rivals just about any I've heard.

Huge Piano Concerto.......2005-11-13

Ferruccio Busoni's Piano Concerto in C Major is a work of monumental proportions. Five movements long, timing at about 72 minutes total; this is the epitome of grandiose romanticism.

The work has 5 movements: Prologue and Introit, Joyous piece, Serious Piece, Italiana, and Cantico. The music is completely tonal, just with large proportions. The opening movement is expansive; the huge chords in the piano which occur after an orchestral introduction show right off the bat, Busoni's love of low and thick textures, and the diametrically opposed chords versus scales and arpeggios. The second and fourth movements are the scherzo's of the work. Both pieces (but the fourth movement especially so), show the virtuosity needed by the pianist. The fourth movement features a brisk Italian folk dance, featuring not only the virtuosity of the pianist, but of the orchestra as well. The 23 minute 3rd movement is epic. While it starts on the lyrical side, the movement as a whole is aggressive, and like the 1st movement, rather expansive. The final movement features a part for men's chorus as well as piano and orchestral forces. The movement is ethereal in nature, however, the work ends rather forcefully. The epic work gets an epic conclusion.

The music is exciting, often recalling Mahler. The Italian influence is only really noticeable in the fourth movement, but giving the piece a unique flavor. He favors the low and middle ranges of the piano, giving much of the music a powerful texture. His writing displays a lot of chorale-like settings and virtuosic scales and arpeggio passages. While it is easy to grasp Busoni's preferred formula, it creates nice uniformity and consistency throughout. Garrick Ohlsson is marvelous here. A virile, yet clean, performance throughout, the piano is almost always in the forefront. The orchestra plays well and handles the virtuosic fourth movement in stride. The chorus is OK. This digital recording from 1989 remains the preferred performance to this day, and if you want to experience something different in the piano concerto arena, this is a neat diversion.

A piano concerto like no other... and I really enjoy it........2005-02-21

Ferrucio Busoni is certainly not one of those high-profile composers. Nor is his piano concerto as compared to other composers of the time including Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. The biggest reason would have to be none other than its grandiosity and universal theme, and that's what it makes this piano concerto like no other... not to mention being highly underappreciated.

As Busoni did to his concerto, his better known friend and idol Gustav Mahler did to his symphonies, yet we know Mahler's symphonies far more than Busoni's massive piece probably because we tend to expect and tolerate more out of it on symphonies (which have evolved throughout time) than the more tradition-laden concerto music.

The piano concerto is in five movements instead of the usual three, about 70 minutes in length (twice as long as most others), and features a male choir in the last movement, fairly reminiscent of Beethoven's 9th and Mahler's 2nd.

Even so, I am more than pleased to be exposed to this peculiar and special piano concerto. I'm definitely no expert on Busoni or his music, but it's really worth while to give it a listen and, hopefully, appreciate how he transformed concerto music into a whole new level.

Average customer rating:

Not topping Ogdon
Superb performance !
Bland orchestra keeps this from being 5 stars for me
Great concerto, monotonous performance
Concerto to end all concertos!

Busoni: Piano Concerto, Op. 39

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000038I6D
Release Date: 1999-12-14

Tracks:

I. Prologo E Introito (Allegro, Dolce E Solenne)
II. Pezzo Giocoso (Vivacemente, Ma Senza Fretta)
III. Pezzo Serioso: Intro (Andante Sostenuto, Pensoso)
III. Pezzo Serioso: Prima Pars (Andante, Quasi Adagio)
III. Pezzo Serioso: Altera Pars (Sommessamente)
III. Pezzo Serioso: Ultima Pars (A Tempo)
IV. All' Italiana (Tarantella) (Vivace; In Un Tempo)
V. Cantico (Largamente)

Amazon.com

Back when the film Shine was popular, Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto became all the rage as a work making nearly suicidal demands of its soloist. But one mountain of challenges to the virtuoso you're not likely to encounter in live performance is the Piano Concerto of Ferruccio Busoni. Its dimensions are Guinness Book material: Lasting over 70 minutes and cast in five epic movements, it not only uses a gargantuan orchestra but calls for an invisible male chorus singing a mystical hymn of stunning beauty in the finale. But the concerto isn't just about grandiosity. Its complex, symbolic architecture gives the work a searching intensity more akin to the trajectory of a Mahler symphony. In his preoccupation with synthesizing elements from North and South, incorporating contrapuntal complexity and flowing Italianate lyricism, introspective gloom and fevered excitement, Busoni sounds something like a character out of Thomas Mann.

Customer Reviews:

Not topping Ogdon.......2006-04-04

I agree with some of the reviews below. Hamelin is incredible but the whole performance is somewhat less than it could be. John Ogdon's amazing performance on EMI is the one to get.

A word on the concerto: this really should be a commonly known piece. Often we find music by less familiar composers that is praised by enthusiasts but ultimately ends up as something below amazing. Not so here and actually not so with much of Busoni's music, especially the operas. It's, well, strange to read people in these pages bubbling over genuinely second rank stuff of little real distinction when we have here a brilliant composer with an immediately recognizable style. Kurt Weill studied under him and his music often sounds like a pale echo of Busoni's angular, distinctly orchestrated, endlessly surprising, frequently hum-able music. Oddly, in an era of grand late romantics, Busoni managed a lean and mean quality with his music that reaches well beyond mere classicism. It also get better the more you listen to it. I've been listening to this wonderful concerto now for nearly 35 years and it still sounds fresh.

Superb performance !.......2004-09-01

This gargantuan piano concert demands a first rate pianist , a great conductor and a virtuosi orchestra to work out .
In the late seventues I acquired the available version in vynil of the key Ravenaugh Ogdon , skillfully performed .
But Hamelin is an extarordinary and best gifted pianist who matchs with Ogdon in musicality and technician equipment . And even the rapport with the orchestra does not reach the intensity of Ravenaugh Ogdon , the result is widely worthable .
Hamelin is one of the giants keyboardists in all the world .
I really expect he makes a close approach to Beethoven , He has the demanded abilties and intelligence to win this challenge .
Acquire this recording to get into Busoni musical universe and enjoying of the superb craft of Hamelin.
Try to find too all you can from Hamelin playing Alkan .

Bland orchestra keeps this from being 5 stars for me.......2004-06-15

John Ogdon was a head case (long before Helfgott made it trendy to be a crazy musician) but boy, could he play! To hear him play would make you forget that there could be anything amiss with his mind. What I especially loved about him was his affinity for zany masterpieces like Sorabji's "Opus Clavicembalisticum," virtually unplayable pieces that nobody else would touch with a 10-foot pole. The Busoni concerto was one of those masterpieces that Ogdon embraced, even though most pianists wouldn't go near it. Even today, you practically count on one hand the number of pianists that include this musical behemoth in their repetoire.

One of those is Marc-André Hamelin, who demonstrates an admirable command of this densely-textured, mammoth piece. Certainly I cannot find any fault in his interpretation, but once again (as has happened all too frequently in this Hyperion series) the orchestra tends to undermine a great performance with a sometimes flat and disengaged accompaniment. That & a curiously unsatifisfying sound quality forced me to lop off a star, despite Hamelins admirable performance. No matter how good the soloist may be, a 2nd-rate orchestral performance really can drag down the overall quality of a recording, and that is the case here.

Nonetheless, Hamelin is great, and this neglected masterpiece --- one of the most remarkable pieces ever written in the 20th century --- is definitely worth soldiering through. Like Nielsen's symphonies, it is not a piece casually approached, so be prepared for repeated listenings before you can fully appreciate the piece.

Great concerto, monotonous performance.......2004-04-03

Busoni's piano concerto is an enormous colossus with a wonderful sphere throughout, a wide range of moods and, not surprisingly, enormous technical demands. You might need more than one listen to get into the piece, but if you take some effort the results are very rewarding: it is a great masterpiece. Few pianists perform it, for the simple reason that it's so long and difficult. Not surprisingly, Marc-Andre Hamelin is one of the exceptions: after all, he's one of the most technically gifted pianists in history. And indeed, he tackles the concerto as if he's walking in the park. Yet I wonder if Hamelin's style is completely suited to the temperament of Busoni's music. The more serious parts of the music, the wonderful introduction and the central `Pezzo Serioso', fare very well with Hamelin, no doubt. His performance of the dark ringing bells-theme in the second part of the Pezzo Serioso, among others, is simply wonderful. But the Pezzo Giocoso and, even more, the Tarantelle, are not as convincing. Hamelin's playing here is strangely dry and monotonous. He focuses too much on control and a `uniform' sound to bring these pieces really to life. The same is generally true for the orchestra: Mark Elder's CBSO is excellent at the serious parts, especially the introduction which is done marvellously. But in the playful pieces they're mainly detached and neat. So, on the whole, the performance is not as well balanced as it should be.

The sound quality is also a drawback: Hamelin's instrument is excessively dry and sometimes sounds as if it's standing in the gallery of the studio instead of inside (especially in the 5th track, where the thundering piano sound is sometimes hardly audible!). Hamelin has a wonderful tone which saves the sound a little, but it's nevertheless frustrating to hear a piano that never really rises to a full and satisfying sound. And this is not the first time that I've heard a Hyperion recording with disappointing sound engineering. I always wonder why this label asks such high prices for recordings that cannot match the sound of several budget recordings from the sixties. OK, the booklet is very nicely done, with an interesting programme note on the piece by Ronald Stevenson, who wrote this note for John Ogdon's recording of the concerto from the sixties. The comparison between Hamelin and Ogdon becomes inevitable, but I haven't heard the latter (in fact, I haven't heard anyone else in the concerto) so I just can't say. What I can say is that this Hamelin/Elder recording is very interesting at times, but they often miss out the spontaneity and contrasting qualities of the concerto. And the recorded sound is extremely dry and quite frustrating.

So, this is a nice disc to have just to hear Hamelin's superb tonal and technical control, but for a musically better result you might look elsewhere. Ogdon has a reputation in the concerto, and so has Garrick Ohlsson reportedly. But then again, I haven't heard them so these aren't direct recommendations.

Concerto to end all concertos!.......2003-12-04

What a stunning concerto! It contains enough material for at least three "normal" musical works. There's so much in it that to hear it all at once is exhausting enough; what must the pianist feel? It's so nearly a great work and contains some wonderful music, but I think it would have had more chance of widespread success in the repertoire as several separate pieces, but don't ask me how it could be divided. (The choral last movement could perhaps stand on its own, but then, it draws together so many themes from earlier movements that it's clearly a finale piece). Anyway this is a heroic performance by the pianist and orchestra and I recommend everyone interested in challenging music to buy it, but perhaps listen to it piecemeal!

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Great music, Excellent Value!
This truly is essential!

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Great music, Excellent Value!.......2000-07-26

Rarely can one buy so much good music for so little. This compilation features almost 80 minutes of high quality music.

This truly is essential!.......1999-10-23

What a brilliant idea from one of our leading record companies! On this disc, they have assembled a programme of highlights from their vast collection of choral, vocal, orchestral, and solo instrumental music that is very satisfying. As with most CDs of this sort, it is a case of some tracks not appealing as much as others- I for instance am a lover of choral music so the gorgeous renditions of Stanford's "Magnificat" by St. Paul's Cathedral Choir or John Sheppard's divine motet "Libera Nos" by the Sixteen are obvious preferences of mine. However, whether you seek dyed-in-the-wool orchestral classics as Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony, less familiar works performed by period artists (such as "'E irei Madr'a Vigo" by ancient Spanish composer Martin Codax), or snippets of breathtaking instrumental solos (such as the rousing performance of Lefebure-Wely's "Sortie in E flat" which is sadly only an excerpt), this disc is bound to have something on it for you. And all of it is finely recorded.

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Busoni: Piano Concerto Op. 39

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One of the great 20th century pianists.
Mighty Fine!

Emil Gilels

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Jeaux d'eau - Maurice Ravel
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Customer Reviews:

One of the great 20th century pianists........2001-10-14

This is a superb collection from a man who was, by any measure, one of the supreme keyboard artists of the 20th century (and whose life was criminally shortened by medical malpractice at a Moscow hospital). Gilels' versatility is evident, and his rich tone, elegant phrasing and thundering virtuosity are undeniable.

That said, I would like to take issue with a few of the previous reviewer's statements. First, to say that Gilels didn't tour much "during the Soviet years" (the only years he was alive; when else would he have toured?) is patently false. Gilels was one the best-travelled performers of his time. Second, to say that he was not a typical "Russian" pianist is an extraordinary statement. Gilels was trained by Heinrich Neuhaus (that most Russian of teachers) and was criticized when he made his 1955 New York debut for a lack of subtlety (which he was to remedy within a few years) that was widely attributed to his narrow, exclusively Russian training. Finally, to say that Gilels made few recordings is ridiculous. The man's repertory was huge (from Bach and Scarlatti to Shostakovich and Prokofiev) and he left a recorded legacy that few pianists can rival.

Hopefully in the future, reviewers will do a little homework before making ignorant statements.

Mighty Fine!.......2000-09-01

Emil Gilels' Ravel is always shattering (his old Melodiya recording of the Pavane can only be characterised as made by god!) and this recording's Ravel is no exception. To my mind, Gilels is the supreme pianist of the last century, and relatively unappreciated in the West, due partly to his, as well as Furtseva's, decision not to tour much during the Soviet years, and partly, I've always suspected, because he clearly is a kind of anti-Russian pianist, I'm saying, relative to the mold of Horowitz, Ashkenazy, Kissin, etc. Gilels commands by the subtlest suggestion, persuasion of a kind no longer heard on the classical stage. The Bach on this recording is a lesson for every pianist, truly. An unbearably perfect RESPECT on Gilels' part for Bach's thought, even, I think, an intrinsic desire for Bach's religiousness! The D Major is mesmerizing. Having heard it, you will never forget it. The Debussy (Images I) is everything it can be, more finely sifted than Gieseking's, and the Mozart -the amazing 27th with that loping First Movement- is miraculous, rich and rhythmical! This is fine stuff, people! The Weber (Horowitz liked this piece, too!) is so brilliant, it barks! The audacious last movement will knock your socks off! But for me, the Ravel is everything; `Jeux d'eau' sparkles like the morning, and the `Alborada' has the most majestic dancing heart- it'll take your breath away. Get all the Gilels you can find, recordings of this man's art are not abundant, but the rewards are life-altering.

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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: Concerto for Piano & Orchestra, Op. 39

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Busoni: Piano Concerto

Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000E8NX
Release Date: 1994-02-22

Busoni: Konzert für Klavier und Orchester mit Schlußchor, Op. 39

Average customer rating:

A FORGOTTEN MASTERPIECE FROM AN UNDER-APPRECIATED COMPOSER

Busoni: Konzert für Klavier und Orchester mit Schlußchor, Op. 39

Manufacturer: Cpo Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000001RRK
Release Date: 1993-02-19

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra (With Male Chorus), Op.39: Prologo et Introito: Allegro, dolce e solenne
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra (With Male Chorus), Op.39: Pezzo giocoso: Vivacemente, ma senza fretta
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra (With Male Chorus), Op.39: Pezzo serioso: Andante sostenuto, pensoso
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra (With Male Chorus), Op.39: All' Italia: Vivace
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra (With Male Chorus), Op.39: Cantico: Largamento e piu moderato

Customer Reviews:

A FORGOTTEN MASTERPIECE FROM AN UNDER-APPRECIATED COMPOSER.......1999-11-24

QUITE SIMPLY THE MOST AMBITIOUS, LONGEST AND MIND BOGGLING PIANO CONCERTO EVER WRITTEN. THIS IS A MASTERPIECE OF ORCHESTRATION, DEPTH, AND INSPIRATION THAT SIMPLY DESERVES TO BE PERFORMED IN THE MAJOR CONCERT HALLS OF THE WORLD. IT IS TO THE PIANO CONCERTO WHAT BEETHOVEN'S NINTH IS TO THE SYMPHONY. FERRUCCIO BUSONI'S PIANO CONCERTO IS A CULMINATION OF 19TH CENTURY ROMANTICISM, AND IS, IN ITS AMBITION AND SCOPE; A CONCERTO TO END ALL CONCERTO'S. FERRUCCIO BUSONI'S PIANO CONCERTO GENUINELY AND SINCERLY DISPLAYS THE 19TH CENTURY FASINATION WITH THE VIRTUOSO SOLOIST. IT IS TECHNICALLY BRILLIANT AND INSPIRING. HOWEVER, THE MUSIC GOES BEYOND TECHNIQUE AND IS HIGHLY EXPRESSIVE. EACH MOVEMENT REPRESENTS A PERIOD OF FERRUCCIO BUSONI'S LIFE. IT IS AN ACHIEVEMENT OF EPIC PROPORTIONS- INTROSPCETION VS. THE NEED TO EXPRESS ONE'S ROMANTIC PASSIONS. WITH THIS PIANO CONCERTO, COMPLETED IN 1904, FERRUCCIO BUSONI HAS IN ONE PIECE GLORIOUSLY ACHIEVED WHAT BEETHOVEN AND BRAHMS COULD ONLY STRIVE FOR IN THEIR OWN CONCERTOS; NAMELY THE NEED TO REMAIN WILDY INDIVIDUALISTIC AND EXPRESSIVE WHILE NOT GOING BEYOND THE BOUNDS OF ROMANTIC STRUCTURE AND LETTING INATE IMPULSES TAKE CONTROL OF THE MUSIC. WITH HIS PIANO CONCERTO, FERRUCCIO BUSONI HAS PERFECTLY SHOWN HOW THE INDVIDUAL CAN INTIMATELY SOAR WITH HIS OWN VOICE WHILE REMAINING TRUE TO THE ROMANTIC CONCEPTIONS AND BOUNDRIES OF THE 19TH CENTURY. IT IS THE GREATEST REPRESENTATION OF THE ROMANTIC PIANO CONCERTO EVER WRITTEN, AND IT IS VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN! IT'S TRULY SAD THAT ALL THE MAJOR CONCERT HALLS HAVE TO BE CONSISTENTLY HELD HOSTAGE TO BEETHOVEN,BRAHMS, AND MOZART WHEN GREAT MUSIC LIKE THIS REALLY DESERVES AN AUDIANCE. SINCE IT APPEARS THAT ALL THE MAJOR CLASSICAL LABELS WANT (IN TERMS OF SERIOUS INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC) TO RECORD IS NORTHERN-EUROPEAN AND RUSSIAN BASED MUSIC, YOU MAY HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME FINDING ANY OTHER RECORDING OF THIS PIECE. IF YOU CAN FIND IT, THERE IS A RECORDING OF THIS PIECE WITH THE CLEVELAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ON TELARC THAT IS BOTH WELL PERFORMED AND TECHNICALLY FLAWLESS.

Busoni: Piano Concerto Op.39, Fantasia Contrappuntistica [Erato]

Average customer rating:

Brooding Busoni

Busoni: Piano Concerto Op.39, Fantasia Contrappuntistica [Erato]
Ferruccio Busoni (composer) , Gennadi Rozhdestvensky (conductor) , Viktoria Postnikova , Orchestre National de France , and Choeur de Radio France
Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Fantasies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000E8TF
Release Date: 1992-05-07

Customer Reviews:

Brooding Busoni.......2006-02-18

If one would expect Viktoria Postnikova to do the usual, the drab, the expected, one would be wrong. This fine pianist has all the hallmarks of an individual pianist--idiosyncratic and wilful at times, she nonetheless possesses a powerful, rich touch. And so it is with this excellent recording of the Busoni Piano Concerto, one of my favorite versions, aided and abetted ably by her brilliant husband Gennadi Rozhdestvensky. All five movements are played markedly slower than in other versions of this highly unusual piano concerto, and yet the somewhat dreamy pace is well-sustained by these performers. The filler on the two cds, Busoni's Fantasia Contrappuntistica, is also by some way the slowest version of the piece I have heard. This should not be a worry for Busoni lovers--the piece can seem gabbled and confused at faster tempi. And yet at these slower tempi, Postnikova brings out many details and layers in the work. (By the way, she has technique to burn, and can play fast! Listen to the fourth movement of the piano concerto.)

Sound is a bit distant and dull. But the performances are not.

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1. I. Prologo E Introito (Allegro, Dolce E Solenne)
2. II. Pezzo Giocoso (Vivacemente, Ma Senza Fretta)
3. III. Pezzo Serioso: Intro (Andante Sostenuto, Pensoso)
4. III. Pezzo Serioso: Prima Pars (Andante, Quasi Adagio)
5. III. Pezzo Serioso: Altera Pars (Sommessamente)
6. III. Pezzo Serioso: Ultima Pars (A Tempo)
7. IV. All' Italiana (Tarantella) (Vivace; In Un Tempo)
8. V. Cantico (Largamente)