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Andrew Palmer
Group Editor
1:00 AM 25th January 2025
arts
Review

Classical Music: Busoni Fantasia Contrappuntistica, For Two Pianos

Transcendental Transformations
Busoni Fantasia contrappuntistica, for two pianos

J.S. Bach (trans. Busoni) Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565; Prelude and Fugue in D major, BWV 532. Busoni Variations and Fugue in free form (after Chopin's Prelude in C minor), BV 213; Sonatina prima, BV 257; Sonatina seconda, BV 259*; Fantasia contrappuntistica, for two pianos, BV 256b*; Sonatina brevis, BV 280 (Digital Only)

Peter Donohoe, Piano
*Karl Lutchmayer, Piano
Chandos CHAN 20342

chandos.net


Peter Donohoe's second exploration of Busoni's musical world begins with two Bach transcriptions—the Toccata and Fugue in D minor and Prelude and Fugue in D major—performed with theatrical panache. For comparison, listeners might seek out Benjamin Righetti's definitive YouTube rendition of the D major fugue played on the organ in Saint-François, Lausanne.

The album's centerpiece, Fantasia contrappuntistica, emerges as a profound musical statement. Donohoe is joined by concert pianist, lecturer, and broadcaster, Karl Lutchmayer, for a collaborative performance that reveals the work's intricate contrapuntal architecture with remarkable clarity and intellectual depth.

Busoni's Sonatina prima and Sonatina seconda receive equally nuanced treatment. Donohoe captures the first with judicious phrasing, while Lutchmayer brings rhythmic warmth to the second.

The Variations on Chopin's Prelude in C minor showcases Busoni's remarkable skill of musical reinterpretation and his mastery of counterpoint, with unexpected echoes of Gershwin punctuating the musical texture.

A digital bonus of the Sonatina Brevis provides a fitting conclusion, encapsulating the disc's exploration of Bach's contrapuntal legacy through Busoni's transformative lens.

Donohoe proves an ideal interpreter, balancing scholarly precision with interpretative imagination in this Busoni recording.