Naxos’ project to record Ferruccio Busoni’s complete piano works has earned great critical respect over the years, not least for the inclusion of rarely heard early works, transcriptions and the outstanding performances throughout by Wolf Harden. We now reach the penultimate volume in the project; the concluding album will be released in November. The programme duly includes the seminal presence of J.S. Bach, three strikingly original sonatinas, a robust interaction with Schoenberg, and a little-known nugget of Christmas charm in his Nuit de Noël. As with previous programmes, the mix of early and mature works makes for a superbly satisfying programme, with Wolf Harden’s excellent performances captured in the Wyastone Concert Hall, widely acknowledged as an ideal acoustic for piano music.
Ferruccio BUSONI (1866–1924)
Piano Music, Vol. 12
Piano Sonatinas Nos. 1, 2 and 4
Prelude and Fugue in C major
Nuit de Noël • Drei Albumblätter
Wolf Harden, PianoThe essence of Ferruccio Busoni’s music lies in its synthesis of emotion and intellect, rooted in his Italian and German ancestry. His Sonatinas typify the stylistic range of his maturity, with the First Sonatina unfolding with the spontaneity of an improvisation. Veering between darting angularity and ominous expectancy, the Second Sonatina is one of his most radical musical statements, while the poise of the Fourth Sonatina marks Busoni’s closest approach to Impressionism. The Drei Albumblätter represent Busoni at his most austere and profound, reflecting the mystical character of his late music.
2. Andante
Wolf Harden, one of the most versatile pianists of his generation, has enjoyed great success as a member of the Trio Fontenay, the ensemble he founded in 1980 and with which he has appeared at all the world’s major music centres. He devotes himself not only to chamber music but, with the same success, to the solo piano repertoire. His concert tours have taken him to South America and India as well as to countries throughout Europe, and his special affinity with unusual repertoire is attested by numerous recordings. He was the first to record a complete version of Hans Pfitzner’s Piano Concerto and has recorded piano music by Ernő Dohnányi, Franz Lehár and Ferruccio Busoni.
Una festa di villaggio • Racconti fantastici
Danze antiche • Suite campestre
Harden
– American Record Guide
– ClassicsToday.com
– American Record Guide
– ClassicsToday.com