Busoni: Turandots Frauengemach / David Rubinstein, piano

Elegies (German: Elegien) by the Italian composer Ferruccio Busoni is a set of seven solo piano pieces (1907-09). Liszt is an obvious influence, and the Elegies stand favorable comparison with the best of Liszt's piano works.

The most well-known of the set, the fourth Elegy, Turandots Frauengemach (Intermezzo) (“Turandot’s Zenana” (Intermezzo)”) is a free adaptation for piano of part of the orchestral Turandot Suite. “Frauengemach” is translated variously as a lady's boudoir in a medieval castle, or bedroom, or “zenana.”

A word about this video: The sound has been re-mastered from the original audio recording made in 2007. At the time, I wanted none of the usual audio enhancements (“reverb”) added. I wanted a perfectly natural sound. Later I realized this was a mistake because the resultant dry sound was not doing the music justice. The original recording, however, is still available for those who prefer the unenhanced acoustic. (see below). The original audio recording (which contains the complete seven Elegies) is also available to interested record companies for the purpose of re-mastering and re-issuing. - D.R.
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Like many turn-of-the-century composers, Busoni was striving for a new harmonic language. The pedal is used to blend disparate tones, unrelated triads are overlapped, and unusual runs and scales are used. Busoni said about the Elegies: "My entire personal vision I put down at last and for the first time in the Elegies…they signify a milestone in my development. Almost a transformation.”

Apple:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/david-rubinstein-plays-busoni-and-bach-busoni/271168650

Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/David-Rubinstein-Plays-Busoni-Elegies/dp/B0011V9VHK/ref=sr_1_1?crid=30GYGKWST7JXD&dchild=1&keywords=David+Rubinstein+busoni&qid=1635948888&qsid=146-0859739-5809021&s=dmusic&sprefix=david+rubinstein+busoni%2Cdigital-music%2C118&sr=1-1&sres=B0011V9VHK%2CB084JK44RK%2CB00NMFM242%2CB083ZNZPGK%2CB00ZTJC26C%2CB009QZ5YME%2CB085RMXRLH%2CB015G0EWLG%2CB00005426Y%2CB0011VXUFE%2CB001E5E006%2CB08YY87FL9%2CB07F4383GP%2CB06WW31WTP%2CB00005427U%2CB001TKQ7AC&srpt=ABIS_MUSIC