[f_minor] Oh for the love of Busoni

Jörgen Lundmark jorgen.lundmark at sundsvall.nu
Tue Nov 1 18:46:24 EDT 2011


I think Abbado is behaving very silly. It is obvious he would not have 
been able to work with our hero, the not very puristic Mr. Gould. Abbado 
probably wouldn't have allowed GG to play his cadenzas in Beethoven's 
first (especially not the extravagantly modern one in the third 
movement), and would have critizied him for the added octaves and other 
matters in the Mozart 24th. I agree with Ms. Grimaud that the cadenza 
must be the choice of the pianist. Also in music history it has been 
more the rule than the exception to do something extra in the cadenza, 
be it in a virtuoso vein or a departure from the idiom which the work 
was written in. In this context, Busoni's candenza is rather timid -- 
but also very beautiful -- in comparison with many other examples.

I urge all of you to listen to Horowitz' wondeful recording of the work 
in question (Mozart's 23rd). Here's the filmed perfomance (the cadenza 
is at [8:45]):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vttZzUPg3A

/Jorgen



>
> "Titans clash over a mere cadenza"
>
> The very first news item I heard on my clock radio this morning:
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/arts/music/helene-grimaud-and-claudio-abbado-part-ways.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 
> <http://>
>
> So Ferruccio Busoni has put an end to the long, happy Grimaud-Abbado 
> marriage.
>
> Mary

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