Ferruccio Busoni discography (as pianist)

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This article lists acoustic recordings made for Columbia by Ferruccio Busoni. The published recordings were issued on 78-rpm records. It is believed that the original matrices were destroyed in a fire at the Columbia factory in England in the 1920s.[1] Copies of the original 78s still exist, and the recordings have been transferred to LP and CD. Some of the digital copies have been computer enhanced.

List of acoustic recordings[edit]

Table 1. Recordings from 18–19 November 1919 at Columbia Studios, London.[2]
The recordings from these earlier sessions were deemed unsatisfactory,[3] were not issued, and are probably lost.

Composer Work     Matrix/Take    
Bach Prelude and Fugue No.1 in C Major, BWV 846 (Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I)  76699-1, -2
Mozart Andantino from Piano Concerto No.9 in E-flat major, KV 271 (BV B 84, excerpt)  76700-1, -2
Gounod-Liszt Waltz from the opera Faust, S.407  76701-1, -2
Bach Organ Chorale Prelude "Rejoice, Beloved Christians" BWV 734 (BV B 27)  76702-1, -2
Beethoven Ecossaises (not identified further; probably BV B 47)  76702-1, -2
Chopin Nocturne in F-sharp major, Op.15, No.2  76703-1, -2
Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No.13 in A minor S.244, Part 1 (abbreviated)  76704-1, -2
Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No.13 in A minor S.244, Part 2 (abbreviated)  76705-1, -2
Liszt Années de Pèlerinage; Deuxième Année - Italie, S.161 No.6: Sonetto 123 del Petrarca  76706-1, -2
Liszt Valse oubliée [No.1?, S.215]  76707-1, -2
Liszt Etudes d'Exécution Transcendente d'après Paganini, S.140 No.5, "La Chasse"  76708-1, -2
Chopin Etude in E minor, Op.25 No.5  76709-1, -2
Weber Piano Sonata No.1 in C major, Op.24: Finale, Presto (Rondo, Perpetuum mobile)  76710-1, -2, -3

Table 2. Recordings from 27 February 1922 at Columbia Studios, London.[4]

Composer Work   Issue[5]  Matrix/Take
Bach Prelude and Fugue No.1 in C Major, BWV 846 (Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I)  
 L 1445
 76699-3
 76699-4
Bach Organ Chorale Prelude "Rejoice, Beloved Christians" BWV 734 (BV B 27)  L 1470  76702-3
Beethoven Ecossaises, WoO 83 (BV B 47)  L 1470  76702-3
Chopin Nocturne in F-sharp major, Op.15, No.2  L 1432
 
 76703-3
 76703-4
Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No.13 in A minor S.244, Part 1 (abbreviated)  
 L 1456
 76704-3
 76704-4
Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody No.13 in A minor S.244, Part 2 (abbreviated)  L 1456
 
 76705-3
 76705-4
Liszt Années de Pèlerinage; Deuxième Année - Italie, S.161 No.6: Sonetto 123 del Petrarca  76706-3[6]
 76706-4[6]
Chopin Etude in E minor, Op.25 No.5  
 L 1445
 76709-3
 76709-4
Weber Piano Sonata No.1 in C major, Op.24: Finale, Presto (Rondo, Perpetuum mobile)  76709-4[7]
 76709-5
Beethoven Ecossaises (not identified further; probably BV B 47)  75058-1[8]
Bach Prelude to Chorale (not identified further; probably BV B 27)  75058-1[8]
Chopin Etude in G-flat major, Op.10 No.5  L 1432
 
 75059-1
 75059-2
Chopin Prelude in A major, Op.28 No.7; Etude in G-flat major, Op.10 No.5[9]  
 L 1470
 75060-1
 75060-2

Selected CD reissue[edit]

  • Busoni and his Legacy: Piano recordings by Busoni • Ley • Petri
Arbiter 134 (CD; 72 min; ADD using "sonic depth technology"; issued 2002).
Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924): the complete 1922 recordings (L 1445, L 1470, L 1432, L 1456)
Rosamond Ley (1882-1969):
• Liszt: Jeux d'eau a la Villa d'Este (rec. 1942)
• Liszt: Sonata après une lecture du Dante (rec. 1942)
Egon Petri (1881-1962):
• Liszt: Totentanz (incomplete; first 78 missing; rec. 1936)
• Busoni: Piano Concerto, Movement 4 (recorded from a live broadcast 2 June 1932 with Hans Rosbaud, conductor)

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Sitsky, p. 332.
  2. ^ The information in Table 1 is taken from Roberge, pp. 127-139, and Dyment.
  3. ^ See Busoni's Letters to His Wife: 1, 19 February 1922 Archived 20 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine (reproduced at The Reproducing Piano Roll Foundation Archived 2007-07-15 at the Wayback Machine web site). Accessed 7 July 2009.
  4. ^ The information in Table 2 is taken from Sitsky, pp. 331-333; Roberge, pp. 127-139; and Dyment.
  5. ^ Each issue is a double-sided 78 rpm record.
  6. ^ a b This take was rejected because of "rough surfaces"; probably lost.
  7. ^ Take 4 was deemed acceptable but for some reason was not published; probably lost.
  8. ^ a b This take was rejected because of "extraneous noises"; probably lost.
  9. ^ There is an "improvised bridge passage" between the Prelude and the Etude (Sitsky, p. 332).

References[edit]

  • Dyment, Christopher (1978). "Ferruccio Busoni: His Phonograph Recordings," ARSC Journal, 10:2/3, pp. 185-187. Accessed 7 July 2009.
  • Roberge, Marc-André (1991). Ferruccio Busoni: a bio-bibliography. New York: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-25587-3
  • Sitsky, Larry (2008). Busoni and the Piano. The Works, the Writings, and the Recordings. (2nd ed.) Hillsdale, NY: Pendragon Press. ISBN 978-1-57647-158-6 [First edition, Westport: Greenwood Press,1986. ISBN 0-313-23671-2]