Ferruccio BUSONI (1866-1924)
Albumblatt 2, BV 289 (1921) [1:49]
Sonatina ad usum Infantis Madeline M. Americanae, No 3, BV 268 (1915) [6:46]
Sonatina brevis in Signo Joannis Sebastiani Magni, No 5, BV 280 (1918) [5:39]
Sonatina in diem nativitatis Christi MCMXVII, No 4, BV 274 (1917) [8:29]
Sonatina super Carmen, No 6, BV 284 (1920) [7:35 ]
Albumblatt, BV 289 (1917) [3:01]
Sonatina, No I, BV 257 (1910) [10:56]
Albumblatt, BV 289 (1921) [5:47]
Nuit de Noël, BV 251 (1908) [4:00]
Sonatina seconda, No 2, BV 259 (1912) [9:05]
Sonatina quasi Sonata - Fragment (1914) [0:54]
Victor NICOARA (b. 1984)
Quasi Sonatina (2019) [6:30]
Victor Nicoara (piano)
rec. 9-11 March 2019, Meistersaal, Berlin
HÄNSSLER CLASSIC HC20086 [70:36]
If Busoni’s name comes up, our minds are likely to go straight towards the Bach Chaconne transcription or that massive piano concerto with choir, but the six Sonatinas at the heart of this programme from Victor Nicoara represent this composer’s late style in a “decade of experimentation and synthesis.” Dating roughly from between 1910 and 1920 or close to those years, these works have been recorded before but are not particularly well known, lacking as they do the impressive grandeur of Busoni’s more popular pieces. Alfred Brendel stated that Busoni’s pianism “signifies the victory of reflection over bravura”, and this is music that looks more inward than it seeks to impress large crowds.
Interspersed with other suitable works, the Sonatinas are not presented in numerical order, but there is no musical reason to view them as a cycle, and the programme is nicely curated. This is by no means difficult music, and if you are seeking out that ‘synthesis’ element of Busoni’s late piano writing then it might be good to start with the Sonatina brevis in Signo Joannis Sebastiani Magni. J.S. Bach’s style of counterpoint is blended with mystery in the chorale-like bookends of the first section, a brief but monumental prelude to a swifter, fugue-like second section. After a climactic dynamic peak the mystery returns and develops into a satisfying coda. This is paired and contrasted with the more lyrically conceived Sonatina in diem nativitatis Christi MCMXVII, which puts its material through variations both reflective and dramatic, with hints of Debussy from time to time. The Sonatina super Carmen sparkles and ripples with virtuoso pianism, while the Sonatina, No I could almost be a child’s educational piece in its opening. This innocence is of course soon taken to more impressive heights, the uneasy feel from its asymmetrical rhythmic base giving the music a questing feel, further development embracing counterpoint and some surprising moods of light and darkness.
Victor Nicoara writes, “To me, Busoni’s music is at once very intimate and very distant. It tries to guess at the unknowable far way and deep within, living at the limits of our spiritual perception in each direction.” Like much good music, you can take this as far as your own spiritual perception desires, but with these pieces you can hear his point. Busoni’s romanticism is by no means sentimental, nor does it overtly seek to affect our higher planes as might be the case with Liszt or even Wagner. You can hear this deeper exploration underway in something like the Albumblatter: No 3. In der Art eines Choralvorspiels from 1921, contrasting with the following Nuit de Noël which relishes piano sonorities and seasonal atmosphere over musical profundity.
This is a superbly recorded and artistically well conceived album which is proven to be a voyage of discovery in a side of Busoni that I hadn’t previously experienced. The Sonatinas have indeed been recorded before. Roland Pöntinen on the CPO label (review) is more closely recorded, emphasising the intimacy in the music and bringing out the colour and detail in the piano sound. The Centaur label has Jeni Slotchiver (review), who is very effective in good recorded sound, and Marc-André Hamelin’s 2 CD overview of Busoni’s late piano music on the Hyperion label (CDA67951/3) certainly deserves your attention in this repertoire. Pianists seeking out these works do so with commitment, and this is crowned on Victor Nicoara’s programme with his own Busoni assimilation, Quasi Sonatina, which is very much a homage to what has gone before, and a very good one at that.
Dominy Clements
Previous reviews: Stephen Barber ~ Michael Cookson
