XXHighEnd

I recently came across Ferruccio Busoni (Demidenko on Hyperion) he was the first to transcribe Bach organ works for keyboard. Wow what a find. I have been listening to Bach for the best part of 50 years and these are by a long way the best I have heard. There are so many dry plodding interpretations of Bach out there that miss out on what Bach is all about (in my humble opinion).

I have never heard Toccata (although did Bach write Toccata? some think not!!) on keyboard capture anything like the magnificence of organ (and maybe it never can) it always sounds disappointing. The Busoni version really captures something I have never heard before. The Adagio and Fugue in C is really special. These really capture the emotion, fun and playfulness of Bach like I have never heard before. Maybe you need to be a life long Bach fan (and to have heard "all the others") to really appreciate this Busoni but oh boy what a find!

Paul

Ok Paul, without knowing what you listen to here, I need some help.

Define "Keyboard".

So what is this about ? using a keyboard to mimic an electric guitar so now the Organ Works play guitars ?

Or is the keyboard actually a synthesizer (many don't know the difference) so that the church organ can be changed into another type of (home) organ ?

Or is it really a keyboard with the nice sampled sounds of all the organs in the world so we can choose ?

As you can see, I am making fun of it. Still my question is serious because I don't understand a thing of it : what is this about ??

If you'd only would have said "piano" instead of "keyboard" (which is not even a hint because  I *really* don't get it) then I would have stayed out of here.

I hope it doesn't show too much that I am not so very familiar with Bach nor his work. ;)
Peter

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferruccio_Busoni

Yea, do I know who Ferruccio Busoni is. Thank you Joachim.

I guess I was directed to the wrong path by the suggestion (as how I read it) that this was something new. And do notice that I've heard of Emerson Lake & Palmer. All right, so the first to do these transcriptions did that a century ago.

Still I was on some right track. The man actually wanted to play electronic music, but lived in the wrong age. So, funny.

About by nagging on the "keyboard" : if someone would have more explicitly said "for the solo keyboard" it would also have been clear. Because that is what it is about (hey church organs often have 3). But again funny : when this work has all been done a century ago, who would have thought about the keyboards from today ? Ok, so a piano was a keyboard. Don't tell that to the piano.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bach-Busoni_Editions

Also interesting to read.

Now, back to Young MC ? or shall I try to find something of this and play it tonight ? I think the latter.

Apologies I was so stupid, but I really did not get it. But that is why we ask, right ?
Peter

There is a say: "There is no stupid question" :) But sometimes we are too shy to ask, because we are concerned about what the others will think...

"Bach" to the main program now ;)

Alain

I should have said " transcribing Bach's organ music for piano" but it is interesting that he envisaged other keyboards before the were even invented as you point out.

Paul

Hey Paul, any particular cd you've been listening too?

Hey Booleary

It is "Demidenko plays Bach - Busoni on Hyperion CDA 66566" and Bach Piano Transcriptions -2 Busoni Demidenko" again on Hyperion CDA67324.

Paul

Thanks

Yes, what a find. Got a chance to listen to Disc 1 today. Incredibly well recorded and the music, damn, it was like being on a journey.....track after track. Can't thank you enough, Paul!

Hey Brian - no problem these are probably for Bach aficionado's great that someone else appreciates these.

Cheers

Paul