Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924) was a titan of the music world, acclaimed as one of the foremost pianists of his time and an influential composer and teacher whose works bridged the 19th and 20th centuries. Born in Empoli, Italy, he was a prodigious talent from an early age, with his first public recital at the age of seven. Busoni's international career took off after he won the prestigious Rubinstein Prize when he was just 22, leading to tours across Europe and the United States.

Busoni's compositions and teachings sought to expand the boundaries of music theory and aesthetic of the time. He is perhaps most renowned for his adaptations of Johann Sebastian Bach's works, through which he sought to marry the clarity and structure of Bach's compositions with the expressive potential of the modern piano. His Bach-Busoni transcriptions continue to be a standard part of the repertoire. Not merely a transcriber, Busoni was an innovative composer in his own right, producing operas, orchestral works, and a wealth of piano music, characterized by its technical demands and rich, complex harmonies that predicted many 20th-century developments. His approach to music was holistic, embracing the past while pushing forward into new territories, as seen in his forward-looking “Sketch of a New Aesthetic of Music.” Even after his death, Busoni’s legacies as a performer, composer, and visionary continue to capture the imaginations of musicians and audiences alike.

Genres

Contemporary Classical

Early Modern Classical

Historic Piano Performance

Post-romantic Era

Related Artists

Sergei Rachmaninoff

Franz Liszt

Igor Stravinsky

Johann Sebastian Bach

Ludwig van Beethoven

Claude Debussy

Johannes Brahms

Alexander Scriabin

Béla Bartók

Arnold Schoenberg

Frédéric Chopin

Erik Satie

Latest Release

Martha Goldstein plays Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach•

Ferruccio Busoni

Ep - 4 Tracks - Released September 5, 2024