Busoni; Elegien, etc Piano Chandos

Busoni; Elegien, etc

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Titles in this series

CHAN 20237

Busoni; Elegien, etc

CD UPC: 095115223727

Release Date: August 2021
Originally recorded in February 2021

Composer
Ferruccio Busoni

Solo Piano piano
Peter Donohoe

Producer
Jonathan Cooper

Engineer
Jonathan Cooper

Assistant Engineer assistant
Patrick Friend

Venue 13-15 February 2021
Potton Hall, Dunwich, Suffolk

Genre:
Piano

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P&P for single unit's: UK=£2.4, EU=£9, World=£12

FERRUCCIO BUSONI

Toccata, BV 287 (1921)

10:26

An J. Philipp

'Non è senza difficoltà che si arriva al fine' Frescobaldi

Preludio. Quasi Presto, arditamente -

1:16

Fantasia. Sostenuto, quasi Adagio - Allegretto un poco vivace -

5:47

Ciaccona. Allegro risoluto - Un poco stretto - Più stretto -

3:22

Elegien, BV 249 (1907) and BV 252 ('Berceuse', 1909)

35:38

Sieben neue Klavierstücke

(Seven New Piano Pieces)

Nach der Wendung. Recueillement. An Gottfried Galston.

4:28

All' Italia! in modo napolitano. A Egon Petri. Andante barcarolo -

7:34

'Meine Seele bangt und hofft zu Dir...' Choralvorspiel.

7:37

Turandots Frauengemach. Intermezzo. An Michael von Zadora.

3:20

Die Nächtlichen. Walzer. An O'Neil Phillips.

3:01

Erscheinung. Notturno. An Leo Kestenberg. Andante -

5:55

10.

Berceuse. An Johan Wijsman. Andantino calmo - (Un poco mosso)

3:41

11.

Sonatina [No.6] super Carmen, BV 284 (1920)

7:41

Kammer-Fantasie/Fantasia da camera

(Chamber Fantasy)

En souvenir d'èstime et de reconnaissance, à Monsieur Tauber, Paris, Mars 1920

Toccata, BV 29 (1899)

16:46

in C major • in C-Dur • en ut majeur

Transcription for Solo Piano

of Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue, BWV 564 (c.1712?)

of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

An Robert Freund

12.

(Preludio, quasi improvvisando) Tempo moderato - Maestosamente, ma andando -

7:02

13.

(Intermezzo) Adagio - Grave (Adagio molto) - Mächtig, breit -

5:01

14.

(Fuga) Moderatamente scherzando, un poco umoristico -

4:42

Total time: 70:27

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Reviews

Interpretation *** Sound Quality **** Repertoire Value *** Booklet ****

“Peter Donohoe throws himself into Busoni's piano music with verve.”

Dr Juergen Schaarwaechter – Klassik.com – 14 October 2022

Interpretation **** Sound **** Repertoire *****

Robert Nemecek – Piano News (Germany) – March/April 2022

Nominee Instrumental category

BBC Music magazine Awards 2022

“… [Donohoe’s] playing is always a pleasure, not least for his capacity to make a modern Steinway sound like anything but. On first hearing, I thought mid-century Bösendorfer, on second perhaps a Fazzoli. It takes a truly original pianist to transcend the limitations of these post-industrial behemoths.”

Norman Lebrecht – myscena.org – 10 December 2021

“… As a single disc calling card for a still under-appreciated genius this neatly planned recital is a tangible record of the evangelical enthusiasm Peter Donohoe has retained for Busoni over forty years. His approach to the Elegien is distinctive, refreshing, and most certainly worth hearing. The recorded sound is a wonder… a disc to which I expect to return repeatedly…”

Richard Hanlon – MusicWeb-International.com – 11 November 2021

“… Peter Donohoe is a pianist with plenty of technique and plenty of power… His dedication is obvious…The recording is immaculate and the sleevenote, by the Busoni scholar Antony Beaumont, authoritative.”

Stephen Barber – MusicWeb-International.com – 28 October 2021

“… his [Donohoe] performances here exhibit a seasoned intimacy with repertory… Performances of this calibre suggest that, at long last, Busoni’s music may be coming into its own.”

Patrick Rucker – Gramophone magazine – October 2021

Performance ***** Recording ****

“… Toccata BV 29 … Adagio and Fugue BWV 564, allows Donohoe’s artistry to flower. The first movement has a majestically cathedral sound, and the Adagio has grave beauty, with the Fugue flying exhilaratingly high. In Sonatina super Carmen – often given as an encore – the clouds roll away and the sun comes out, as Busoni and Donohoe play exuberantly to the gallery.”

Michael Church – BBC Music magazine – October 2021

“…Peter Donohoe … is in magnificent form for Chandos (there are many demanding technical challenges) and he is superbly recorded … It’s Busoni’s music that matters … personal, compelling, unpredictable, yet rigorous as he (sometimes) explores ambiguous tonalities. Busoni’s music can scintillate … The big opus is Elegien, a cycle of seven pieces that is far more varied and surprising than a series of elegies might suggest. When at its most commensurate with the title though, Busoni’s music is profound, searching his soul, and ours, to divine effect, free yet controlled…”

Colin Anderson – Colin’s Column.com – 27 August 2021

“…this album sheds light on Busoni’s interesting compositional profile: the unconventionality of his original pieces no doubt invites multiple listens to be better understood. Donohoe presents these works with finesse and in such a way that keeps our interest piqued throughout. Warmly recommended.”

Azusa Ueno – theclassicreview.com – 16 August 2021

“…Donohoe’s selection, including a less familiar Bach transcription, is to be welcomed. His transcendental technique and eclectic musical sympathies make light work of the music’s technical difficulties, and the 1920 Carmen “chamber fantasy” brings out a twinkle in his eye on his whistle-stop tour of Bizet’s opera. Thrilling.”

Hugh Canning – The Sunday Times (Culture magazine) – 22 August 2021

Recording of the Week

“… Donohoe’s delight in this music is infectious – here and throughout the album, he strikes a captivating balancing-act which shines a spotlight on Busoni’s often outlandish technical demands whilst never leaving you in any doubt that he’s got them completely under control …”

Katherine Cooper – Presto Classical – 6 August 2021

“…What all the music here demands is immense virtuosity, whether in the glittering opening of the 1921 Toccata, the unashamedly Lisztian paraphrase of the Sonatina super Carmen, written the previous year, or the joyously explosive transcription of Bach’s Toccata. Donohoe fearlessly meets every challenge these pieces throw up with an infectious exuberance and crusading zeal to his playing; he really believes, you sense, that this music deserves to be much more widely heard and appreciated.” ****

Andrew Clements – The Guardian – 5 August 2021

“…Donohoe, always musically convincing, overcomes all technical challenges with apparent and disarming ease.”

Stephen Pettitt - The Sunday Times (Culture magazine) – 25 July 2021

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