Andrew Palmer, Group Editor

Classical Music: Busoni Violin Sonatas & Four Bagatelles

Busoni Violin Sonatas & Four Bagatelles

Sonata No.1 in E minor, Op. 29; Sonata No.2 in E minor, Op. 36a; Four Bagatelles, Op. 28

Francesca Dego - violin
Francesca Leonardi - piano

Chandos CHAN 20304
chandos.net


On the heels of her recording of Busoni’s Violin Concerto (CHSA 5333 Classical-Music-Brahms--Busoni), Francesca Dego has completed her celebration of Busoni’s anniversary year with a program of the two sonatas for violin and piano and the Four Bagatelles, superbly accompanied by Francesca Leonardi.

The empathy between the two performers is excellent; each understands the other’s role and lets each shine. Dego’s thorough understanding of Busoni shines through as she tackles the violin sonatas, both written in the key of E minor, reflecting Busoni’s grounding in the German Romantic tradition.

The first, closely modelled on Brahms’s violin sonata in D minor (just as Busoni’s violin concerto was inspired by that of Brahms), is persuasive, in which Dego performs with virtuosic skill, letting the music speak directly to the listener. The phrasing of the music is wonderfully dynamic. The pulse of the last movement is captivating as the duo delivers an enjoyable opener to Busoni's compositions.

The second sonata, completed a decade after the first, is still recognisably Romantic in style, but it has more weight, nuance, and complexity than its predecessor. As the notes state, its unusual six-movement form is centred on a Bach chorale from the Anna Magdalena Notebook, around which the rest of the music follows a circular path, the theme of the opening returning at the very end of the work. The slow opening movement once again demonstrates Dego’s perceptive interpretation and sense of the sonata. The performance burnishes like the low sun at this time of the year, gleaming off the icy roads. The moments of delicacy reflected by the soloist and accompanist create moments of expressive charm. Lombardi’s dynamics in the 'Andante piuttisti grave' are perfectly judged, and as she lifts her hands from the keys, Dego rounds off the short movement with aplomb. The pair masterfully expresses the quiet ending.

The short Four Bagatelles are performed with a playfulness in which the pair show off the lightness and joie de vivre that is ‘unusual in Busoni’s output.’