GrauSchumacher Piano Duo

Ferruccio Busoni was a quintessentially universal artist, an exceptional personality of the first magnitude: as a piano virtuoso, as a composer, as an editor and essayist. For him, Classicism was naturally connected to a visionary sense for modernity and musical utopia. He resided in Berlin from 1920 until his death, leaving his mark on the city’s music scene. On the occasion of his 150th birthday, the Kunstbibliothek – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin is holding a comprehensive exhibition in honour of this great artist titled “BUSONI. Freiheit für die Tonkunst!” (BUSONI. Freedom for music!) The Musikfest Berlin opens the exhibition with a matinee concert dedicated to Busoni: the GrauSchumacher Piano Duo presents a programme for two pianos that was conceived by Busoni himself. The adaption of works by other composers appears here as a sui generis art form, culminating in the “Fantasia Contrappuntistica”, the monumental contrapunctual continuation and surpassing of the Contrapunctus XIV of the “Kunst der Fuge”, which Bach left unfinished.

Ferruccio Busoni [1866-1924]
Improvisation
about a choral song by Bach [1916]

Fantasie
for an organ barrel by W.A. Mozart KV 608
arranged for two pianos [1922]

Duettino Concertante
based on the finale from W.A. Mozart’s piano concerto No. 19
in F major KV 459 for two pianos [1919]

Fantasia contrappuntistica

Choral variations over “Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe”
followed by a quadruple fugue over a fragment by Bach in the version for two pianos from 1921

GrauSchumacher Piano Duo
Andreas Grau, Götz Schumacher, pianos