Wolf Harden - Busoni: Piano Music, Vol. 8 (2013)

We have arrived at the eighth volume of Naxos's recording of the complete piano music of the Italian-born virtuoso pianist and composer, Ferruccio Busoni. Born near Florence in 1866, he made his concert debut at the age of eight, before moving to study in Germany where he spent most of the remaining years of his life. As a composer he was already in his thirties before he began serious work in that field, though he had written a large number of scores in his teenage years. From that early period came the 24 Preludes completed when he was fifteen and given the opus number 37. That he had obviously been inspired to compose such a work followed on from his acquaintance with Chopin s score of the same name, and though it is in no way derivative, it has the academic rectitude of passing through all of the twenty-four key signatures. Shaped in contrasted tempo indications, it displays his knowledge of the various musical forms from a sombre Funeral March to a big and bold Fugue. It is a demanding score, though the German-born pianist, Wolf Harden, casts aside technical hurdles, the clarity of his fingers bringing a joy and sparkle to the fast preludes.The Macchiette medioevali, which was completed two years later, pictures six medieval characters, and has the feel of being intended for a young audience. The result is a gorgeous sound, and a fervently recommended release. --David's Review Corner, David Denton