Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface: Grigory Kogan: His Life and Times
- Acknowledgments
- Busoni as Pianist
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Busoni's childhood and youth, 1866–88
- Chapter 2 Finland and Moscow, 1889–94
- Chapter 3 Berlin: Busoni's emergence as a great pianist
- Chapter 4 Busoni's technique: Piano orchestration, tone production
- Chapter 5 Busoni's repertoire: An anti-Romantic approach
- Chapter 6 Busoni's interpretation of Beethoven, Liszt, and Chopin
- Chapter 7 Busoni's interpretations. Textural liberties
- Chapter 8 Busoni's interpretations of Bach. Articulation
- Chapter 9 Rhythm and dynamics
- Chapter 10 Busoni's recording of the Liszt's Rigoletto Paraphrase
- Chapter 11 Technical phrasing
- Chapter 12 Technical variants
- Chapter 13 Fingering, pedal
- Chapter 14 Compositions, transcriptions, editions, teaching, writings
- Chapter 15 Busoni's esthetics
- Chapter 16 Busoni's esthetics, continued
- Chapter 17 World War I. Operas
- Chapter 18 Busoni's final years, 1918–24
- Conclusion
- Annotated Discography
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Translator's Bibliography
- Index
- Miscellaneous Endmatter
Chapter 6 - Busoni's interpretation of Beethoven, Liszt, and Chopin
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 September 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Foreword
- Preface: Grigory Kogan: His Life and Times
- Acknowledgments
- Busoni as Pianist
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Busoni's childhood and youth, 1866–88
- Chapter 2 Finland and Moscow, 1889–94
- Chapter 3 Berlin: Busoni's emergence as a great pianist
- Chapter 4 Busoni's technique: Piano orchestration, tone production
- Chapter 5 Busoni's repertoire: An anti-Romantic approach
- Chapter 6 Busoni's interpretation of Beethoven, Liszt, and Chopin
- Chapter 7 Busoni's interpretations. Textural liberties
- Chapter 8 Busoni's interpretations of Bach. Articulation
- Chapter 9 Rhythm and dynamics
- Chapter 10 Busoni's recording of the Liszt's Rigoletto Paraphrase
- Chapter 11 Technical phrasing
- Chapter 12 Technical variants
- Chapter 13 Fingering, pedal
- Chapter 14 Compositions, transcriptions, editions, teaching, writings
- Chapter 15 Busoni's esthetics
- Chapter 16 Busoni's esthetics, continued
- Chapter 17 World War I. Operas
- Chapter 18 Busoni's final years, 1918–24
- Conclusion
- Annotated Discography
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Translator's Bibliography
- Index
- Miscellaneous Endmatter
Summary
The peculiarities of Busoni-the-interpreter, clearly evident in the matter of what he played, stand in even sharper relief in how he played it. Here, the performer's “great personality,” his “giant, brilliant, and original individuality” left an inimitable stamp on his “unusually personal,” “uniquely special and independent” renditions. “Going to hear other pianists, even the great ones, we usually know quite well exactly how this or that piece will be played and get ourselves on a particular track in advance. Busoni, however, pushes us off that track: everything with him is more or less unexpected … acquiring a new character and thoroughly different lighting. This is the principal charm of Busoni's magical art.” “The most valuable in him is that which is unexpected and yet happily discovered, deeply convincing.” “Busoni's performance creates the impression of a brilliant improvisation—and this is his foremost strength!”
Indeed in this, in the “free flight of poetic fantasy,” in the creative nature of performance was the “foremost strength” of Busoni-the-interpreter, “perhaps, his most substantial distinction from other pianists.” “The work of composition is continued by the performer. But it does not reach such brilliance as in Busoni in any other”; “no contemporary pianist is capable of this creative transformation.”
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Busoni as Pianist , pp. 27 - 32Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2010