So I listened to the Busoni concerto, as promised. It's an impressive
piece of work, substantial, but cumbersome to the point of collapsing under
its weight. It is well over an hour long. If the Catoire reminded me of
a cross between Grieg and Rachmoaninov (that is what I said?) This work
comes across as Brahms-Richard Strauss as edited by Bruckner.
I know musicians, or pianists at any rate, who consider Busoni one of the
greatest of composers. John Ogden thought him the equal of J.S. Bach.
Of course Ogden admitted himself to the same circle of genius. I've never
heard Busoni's Doktor Faustus which is supposed to be a transcendnent
masterpiece. Does anyone know it?
"Richard Todd" <[log in to unmask]>