Re: Goldberg Variations arranged by Busoni

[Bradley P Lehman <bpl@umich.edu>]

On Mon, 13 Apr 1998, Charlie Siffermann wrote:

> Dear Minors,
> 
> On my usual hunt around the used CD store I found a most outstanding
> recording I want to share with you.  It is Ferruccio Busoni's free
> arrnagement of the Goldberg Variations.
> It is so fresh (arranged 1914) to hear the Goldberg Variations a new
> way.  David Buechner plays the piano on this recording for Connoisseur
> Society   CD 4212.  The CD also has other Busoni arrangements to fill it
> out.

Interesting!  Thanks for the info.  (This'll be one to set beside the
_Fantasia Contrappuntistica_, his elaboration of the Art of Fugue.  Mmm.)

Do you know the wild transcriptions of the Bach violin solo sonatas by
Godowsky, 1923?  There's a Marco Polo CD (8.223794) of them from last
year.  Very imaginative harmonizations and elaborations, sort of like
thinking you've ordered a simple chocolate sundae but receiving a dish
with eleven different types of fudge, three flavors of ice cream, real
whipped cream, and four kinds of cherries.  The pieces are hardly
recognizable at some spots.  http://www.hnh.com/cat/223794.htm

> 
> I wonder if GG ever saw this arrangement?  Imagine if GG had put his
> mind to writing some variations or arranging the Goldberg Variations.

He did add some octave doubling to a few of the variations, if that counts
as an arrangement.  And when he was young wasn't he lauded as the best
pianist since Busoni? 

Bradley Lehman ~ Harrisonburg VA, USA ~ 38.45716N+78.94565W
bpl@umich.edu ~ http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl/