THE

TOUR

Chaconne - Bach-Busoni (1866 - 1924)

Ferruccio Busoni was an Italian pianist, composer, conductor, teacher, writer and all-around genius. He was devoted to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and it influenced him in many ways throughout his life, in particular in his own compositions. He edited (controversially) and did his own publications of many of Bach's works. Like Liszt before him he wished to be able to play the great Bach organ works on the piano and so he began to make transcriptions. The one that has come down to us as his most popular, however, is not of an organ work but instead takes the mighty Chaconne from Bach's Partita No.2 in D minor, BWV 1004 for unaccompanied violin as its base.

A Chaconne is essentially a set of variations all using the same harmonic structure. While Bach is true to this it is something else that holds us as it unfolds, a certain dark grandeur and perhaps a certain grief. The technical demands on the violinist are immense and it is one of Busoni’s masterstrokes that he is able to parallel and match these pianistically. The virtuosity in the piano transcription never feels like an add-on. For this reason I have never personally felt like I was playing a 'showpiece' or even a piece by Busoni - it always feels like magnificent, immortal Bach to me.