Fantasia contrappuntistica (1910) is about itself, about music, mostly in the form of fugues and variations, owing to Bach, recorded here in Busoni’s version for two pianos (he made more than one for piano alone, and there are arrangements for organ and for orchestra by others). Abstract and formal it may be, but the thirty-minute, continuous, Fantasia contrappuntistica stimulates the intellect and garners praise for Busoni’s contrapuntal fecundity, sometimes going beyond the listener’s head in terms of harmonic, and therefore emotional, involvement. Peter Donohoe & Karl Lutchmayer give an impressive account, not without fervour, sailing full-bloodedly into the decisive conclusion – journey’s end – for this is music that throughout knows where it’s going.
Lutchmayer also plays Sonatina seconda, quite modern-sounding, some of the rhythmic attack would pass for Prokofiev, while reflective ones suggest the Schoenberg of his explorative Opus 11 Pieces. The rest of this release belongs to Donohoe, including the first Sonatina (there are six), more impressionistic than its successor. Variationen und Fuge in freier Form über Fr. Chopins makes use of the C-minor Prelude from Chopin’s Opus 28 set for probing commentaries, and there are two Busoni transcriptions of Bach, the D-minor Toccata and Fugue (BWV565) – although probably not by Bach or for organ – for which Donohoe may not be as ‘orchestral’ as, say, Weissenberg, but develops to a big finish, and the D-major Prelude and Fugue (BWV532), which Respighi orchestrated, and here is winningly brought off by Donohoe. Chandos CHAN 20342 is released on January 24.
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