Buxtehude by Arrangement: The Stradal Transcriptions
Busoni’s transcriptions of Bach have long been one of the mainstays of the piano repertoire. Bach himself worshipped the music of the Danish-born Dieterich Buxtehude (c. 1637–1707), famously walking 250 miles to Lübeck to hear him play. The Liszt student August Stradal (1860–1930) obviously shared that admiration, transcribing ten of Buxtehude’s most imposing organ works for piano, thus creating alongside ‘Bach-Busoni’ a corpus of grandiose – and virtuoso – Baroque music for the modern concert grand that has somehow remained almost entirely unknown.
Meilin Ai, piano
Listen To This Recording:
-
Prelude and Fugue in A minor, BuxWV153
- I Prelude
- II Fugue 1
- III Fugue 2
- IV Toccata
- Chaconne in E minor, BuxVW160
- I Prelude
- II Fugue 1
- III Fugue 2 – Adagio
- I Prelude
- II Fugue 1
- III Fugue 2
- IV Fugue 3
- Passacaglia in D minor, BuxVW161
- I Prelude
- II Fugue 1
- III Fugue 2
- I Prelude
- II Fugue 1
- III Fugue 2
- IV Fugue 3
- Chaconne in C minor, BuxVW159
- I Prelude
- II Fugue
- I Prelude
- II Fugue
- III Toccata
Chaconne in E minor, BuxVW160
Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BuxWV143
Prelude and Fugue in E minor,
BuxWV142
Passacaglia in D minor, BuxVW161
Prelude and Fugue in D minor, BuxVW140
Prelude and Fugue in G minor, BuxVW150
Chaconne in C minor, BuxVW159
Prelude and Fugue in F major, BuxWV145
Prelude and Fugue in F sharp minor, BuxVW146
FIRST RECORDINGS
MusicWeb International :
‘Overall, this is an utterly magnificent disc; the cover notes are extremely detailed and provide a vast amount of information, especially about Stradal and the disc is enormously generously filled (at 83 and a half minutes). It is splendidly recorded; the presentation is up to Toccata’s usual high standards and the production values are high. Most importantly, the playing throughout is superb; the clarity of lines, pedalling and sheer musicality of Ms Ai are wonderful. […] I have no hesitation in recommending this disc and I hope that there are further Stradal transcriptions which Toccata and Ms Ai will record in the future. This is a disc that I look forward to returning to again and again, as there are many things of interest and discoveries to me made. Full marks to Toccata again!’
—Jonathan Welsh, MusicWeb International
Sunday Times :
‘The interleaving of Prelude and Fugue pairs (actually, the fugues come in multiples) with chaconnes, transcribed by August Stradal, displays polyphony at a peak of calm, exquisite fluency.’
—Sunday Times
Observer :
‘Sonorous, imposing, but also highly agile, these remarkable pieces span the full gamut of the modern concert grand, with booming double octaves in the bass capturing the organ pedal parts, and bright-toned high flourishes in the treble.’
—Observer
Gramophone :
‘Ai’s astute clarification and contouring of contrapuntal lines prevents the piano-writing from ever sounding garish or overloaded. As a result, the A minor Fugue’s grand climaxes and pedal points are full-bodied without bursting at the sonorous seams. Her sensitivity of phrasing and timing of the rests in the E minor BuxWV143’s second fugue brings understated drama to a piece that does not often inspire organists beyond the perfunctory. […] her varied and well-controlled articulation makes the long F major Fugue appear more musically eventful than it actually is. […]
All transcription mavens should know about and investigate this release.’
—Jed Distler, Gramophone