Pianist Igor Levit considers Busoni's Fantasia contrappuntistica to be the "utopian embodiment of Busoni's Sketch of a New Aesthetic of Music."
Composition History
The first "fantasía" in music history appeared in 1536 in the tablatures of the Catalan vihuela virtuoso Luis Milán, containing forty polyphonic pieces of this title.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The album's title, "Fantasia," refers to a key concept for the Romantics, which could be "dark or free" and manifest as either "genius" or "demon."
Recording & Production
The album includes four encores, which Igor Levit describes as "breathing spaces" or "signposts," each referring to one of the four main works on the album.
Interpretation
Igor Levit believes that the act of writing down notes is already a transcription of thoughts, and therefore, as an interpreter, he questions if the written score is the "last word."
Compositional Technique
In music, the term "fantasy" has been used since the Renaissance to describe instrumental music that does not adhere to a fixed form.
You might also enjoy...
Vocalise
Le tombeau de Claude Debussy
Barber: Souvenirs & Recollections – Early & Late Piano Music
