Busoni, Piano Concerto in C major, op 39

[adriano]

This is the 18th recording (so far) of this magnificent work (I have them all in my collection):

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2019/Mar/Busoni_PC_MYR024.htm

I fully agree with the MusicWeb reviewer: What a loud and wild intrerpretation! Although I admire Kirill Gerstein, I never thought he would throw himself into this work in such a rather respectless and rough way. He creates a loud, extravert showpiece - and nothing more. The slow movement is acceptable, in a way, but there too, the orchestzra sounds rather uninspired.
Oramo's conducting is unsensitive and does not respect the noble and transcendetal aspects of this piece. He has a rather cheap idea about Busoni.
Incidentally, I fear that no producer/balance engineer, soloist or conductor of this work really know that Busoni had intended the male chorus of the last movement to remain invisible - or at least sound as it would be so. Also in this recording, the chorus is too much present (and too loud).
What a pity! And this with the Boston Symphony!
This single slipcase CD is accompanied by a (separate) lavish booklet with excellent articles and great photos of Busoni.
The "old" interpretations by John Ogdon and Peter Donohoe remain, in my opinion, the top class one! But we already had a topic on this subject earlier on...

[Mark Thomas]

I have Marc-André Hamelin / Mark Elder on Hyperion. What's your opinion of that recording, Adriano?

[Alan Howe]

And I have Ohlsson/Dohnanyi...

[adriano]

Hi Alan, hi Mark :-)
Hamelin and Ohlsson: both stylistically conform and excellent interpretations, wonderful orchestras and super conductors! Elder knew the piece already in 1988, when he recorded it with Peter Donohoe. Donohe's interpretation is also rather crazy and wild (like Gernstein's), but perfectly balanced and organic.
David Lively's 1990 recording (conducted by Michael Gielen) is the one I've just re-listened last week. Very good too (Koch International)!
Talking about live recordings: a lately "rediscovered" 1966 performance with Pietro Scarpetta and Rafael Kubelik (Bavarian Radio Orchestra, label: BR Klassik) is also recommendable, as well as the 1956 NDR performance by Gunnar Johansen and Hans Schmidt-Issersted (label Music & Arts).

[alberto]

A material fault in the post above. The pianist in the Kubelik conducted recording is Pietro Scarpini, rather than Scarpetta.
BTW Michael Gielen (conductor in the Lively recording) has sadly just passed away. To him, dealing with Busoni, we owe a recording of the complete Turandot Suite, and two recordings of the Sarabande and Cortege.

[adriano]

Sorry alberto, but nobody is perfect! Of course it's Scarpini, but I did not bother to go checking in my collection. Considering the fact that I am passing 8-10 hours a day editing and copying music scores, I still wonder how I still can see clearly.

That Gielen died on March 8th is surely well-known to many music lovers. On March 10th, SWR Radio dedicated him almost a full day of homages.

And, about the "Turandot Suite": Gielen's recording does indeed include the later composed and inserted movement "Despair and Resignation", but not "Altoums Warning", which Busoni placed instead of the original final Funeral movement.

There is also a live recording of Busoni's "Berceuse Elégiaque", conducted by Gielen in 1970. This, of course, has been officially issued by Hänssler Classics in 2007.
"Berceuse Elégiaque" figures in a Busoni program by the (presumably pirate) label "The Classical Society" (published in 1991), aslongside with various important Busoni recordings, including four songs with Fischer-Dieskau (and Gerald Moore), the "Comedy Overture" conducted by Adrian Boult, the "Rondo Arlecchinesco" conducted by Aaron Copland (with Robert Tear), the Violin Concerto played by Jaime Laredo and conducted by Daniel Barenboim and the "Gesang vom Reigen der Geister" conducted by Harry Newstone.

[semloh]

I'm sure many of us will remember John Ogdon's amazing recording of this concerto. I think it's fair to say that it was this recording that first brought the concerto to the attention of the British public, at least, especially since Ogdon had gained fame through winning the Tchaik. Competition (with Ashkenazy). Although I don't have the LP - I have the Hyperion - it can be heard in full on YT. I don't know how it 'stacks up' alongside subsequent versions but it was ground-breaking in its day, and is widely regarded as a fine legacy from the pianist.

[adriano]

You are perfectly right, semloh!
And that 2LP EMI box of 1967 had a wonderful cover, showing Boccioni's famous oil portrait of Busoni. The accompanying booklet was also great. Alas, these golden times are gone by...
After this, followed a 2-LP album of the Swiss Label Aperto (Schwann), with a 1986 live performance by Boris Bloch and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, conducted by Christoph Eschenbach. I attended this performance. As it can be heard on the LP, the final chorus was simply horrible - and much too loud. Bloch's performance was good, but I was not all too satistfied of Eschenbach and his orchestra. This has never been reissued on CD, as far as I know.
Then followed CDS with the perfromances by Garrick Ohlsson (Telarc 1989), Giovanni Battel (Bongiovanni 1990), Viktoria Postnikova (Erato 1991) etc etc...
Another notable performance is that of 1948, by the 26-years old Noel Mewton-Wood, conducted by Thomas Beecham. It's available on the SOMM-BEECHAM label and it was issued in 2003. During rehearsals, Mewton-Wood even pointed out some errors in the score, which Sir Thomas had not noticed. The maestro then turned back to the orchestra and said: "Gentlemen, out of the mouth of babes and sucklings..."! (Quoted from the liner notes of this CD)

[giles.enders]

I have seven recordings of this concerto but the one played by John Ogden is without equal. This is 'piano concerto music' at it's finest.  showing off but not in a vulgar way, the pianistic abilities of the pianist.

[adriano]

That's it: Busoni was a humanstic, noble, elegant and greatly balanced character - inspite of the two contrasting natures inside himself (parents of Italian and German origins). In oher words, the Concerto should only be played wildly in those very few places this is explicitly indicated - and not be conceived as an thoroughly wild and loud thing.
The work was often judged as "superhuman" (the back cover of the new recording promotes it with a quote by Alfred Brendel repeating the same old cliché) - and the composer smiled at that expresion because he intended this indeed, but in a more transcendent way.
Its Berlin 1904 premiere was total failure. it was found full of stylistic clashes and, of course they did not like the use of Italian street songs in the scherzo movements. They also judged them as cachophonous and unworthy of the sacred atmospehere of Berlin's Beethovensaal! Others were upset that the finale used a German translation of a Danish text. The anti-Brahmsians said that there now was another of those long symphonic concertos à la Brahms, looking more like a symphony with piano obbligato. Some other critcs also disapproved on the Italian subtitles to each movement (Prologo - Pezzo - All'Italiana - Cantico.
Besides the fact the in all available recordings the chorus is (presumably) visible - and sometimes too present- , Busoni also insisted on using a reduced violin ensemble of 12-10, but against equal sized sections of 8 violas, 8 cellos and 8 double-basses. And that the chorus should have 48 male voices.
What is also important: the work should be played only with minmal breaks (no tunings and coughing in-between) - almost attacca-like - which means that in performances with visible chorus, the singers should be sitting there already at the beginning.
The meaningful score's title page drawing, explaining the different cultures who had inspired the music, was done after a sketch by the composer.

[Ilja]

With apologies for straying slightly from the theme, is there any recording of the Concerto for piano and orchestra Op. 46 (BV 110) of 1879? Or is this perhaps the orchestration of the D minor Concerto for piano and string quartet, BV 80?

[adriano]

Busoni's op. 46 is not a piano concerto, but his music to "Arlecchino". This must be mistake in some catalogue...
BV 80 is his Concerto, op 17 for piano and string quartet. But, since in the score there are occasional "solo" or "tutti" indications, it means that it can also be played by a small string orchestra with a double bass "octaving" the cellos.

[eschiss1]

easily explained, Hadrianus. Busoni restarted his opp not once but TWICE. So op.46 refers to both.

[adriano]

You are right, eschiss1, I have to admit that I looked too hastily into the work catalogue and had forgotten about those confusing opus numbers. I am very busy these days and cannot always guarantee correct postings.
But why did you ask? The Busoni work catalogue (which you surely know) says that BV 110 is for orchestra accompaniment and BV 80 is for string quartet. Otherwise Beuamont would have precised BV 110 as an "orchestration" or "arrangement".
Marc-André Robergé's Discography does not list a recording of BV 110, but this list was compiled in 1991.

Suppose you have the CD with the lovely BV 80 concerto...

Another work for piano and orchestra I do not know is the Concertino BV 292 of 1922...

[eschiss1]

I didn't ask, though I did look into it without result too, and I apologize for my tone!