Sorabji's Opus clavicembalisticum is considered one of the most technically difficult pieces ever written for piano.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Sorabji believed that music should not simply entertain, and that it should be allowed to sound difficult or 'against the grain'.
Performer Biography
Geoffrey Douglas Madge, the pianist on this recording, is known for pioneering rarely performed and demanding repertoire, including Sorabji's Opus clavicembalisticum.
Recording & Production
This recording is of Geoffrey Douglas Madge's second complete performance of Opus clavicembalisticum, given in Chicago in 1983, and has been wonderfully restored.
Composer Biography
Sorabji dedicated his final composition, Passeggiata arlecchinesca sopra un frammento di Busoni, to the performer Geoffrey Douglas Madge in 1982.
Compositional Technique
Sorabji's piano writing has little in common with Liszt or Busoni, and is described as sounding like Xenakis or Cecil Taylor under the fingers.
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