Adolf Busch left Germany in 1927 due to his opposition to National Socialism and eventually had to leave Europe in 1939, with the effects of exile leading to his early death in 1952.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Busch rarely programmed his own compositions, yet he left a legacy of about seventy works with opus numbers and an equal number of pieces intended for private use, often written during train journeys.
Compositional Technique
The Suite, Op. 62a, includes a double fugue whose first theme alludes to the B-A-C-H motif, and a scherzo that references the first movement of Johannes Brahms' Clarinet Quintet, Op. 115.
Composer Biography
Adolf Busch (1891-1952) was considered the most important German violinist between the two World Wars, renowned for his interpretations of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, and Reger.
Composition History
Many of Busch's chamber works for clarinet, including the Bagatelles, Variations, Romanze, and Suite, were written for his wife, Frieda, who played the clarinet.
Composer's Artistic Vision
After emigrating to the United States, Busch's musical language became more radical, moving from the influence of Max Reger's complex style to a more transparent and rigorous approach inspired by Bach and the Viennese Classical composers.
Recording & Production
The performers on this album compared all the pieces with Adolf Busch's manuscripts and made corrections to ensure an authentic recording.
