Bach and Liszt were the two nerve centres of Ferruccio Busoni’s enormous repertoire.
Bach is the basis of pianism and Liszt is its apex. The contemplative inwardness of the
one was as congenial to him as the theatrical and mysterious tone magic of the other.
The most individual feature of Busoni’s pianistic art was his treatment of the pedal. In
conjunction with a highly refined non-legato technique this new treatment of the pedal
produced tone colours and areas of sound of the most delicate transparency.
The pianist has one implacable enemy, the piano. The piano continually tempts him to
forget the musical meaning of a passage in mastering its mechanical difficulties.
Technique can never reach a point where the problems cease to exist because the real
problems are not technical but musical. Liszt’s notion of “technique as the helpmate of
the idea” finds a strong exponent in Busoni.
My teacher Edwin Fischer helped me restore the “ürtext” of classical masterpieces.
The principal carrier of his expressiveness was his marvellously full, floating tone, which
retained its roundness even at climactic, explosive moments, and remained singing and
sustained in the most unbelievable pianissimo.
Piano playing is a strict discipline. Practice, the task of clarifying, purifying, fortifying
and restoring musical continuity, can turn against the player. Control can “sit” on one’s
playing like a coat of mail, like a corset, or like a well-tailored suit. On lucky occasions
it is just there, as if in league with chance.
How often does the player find a piano on which he can rely, a piano which will do
justice to the exactness of his vision? Is it to be wondered that so many performances
remain compromises?’
BROADWOOD
The English firm of Broadwood and Sons, named after its founder John Broadwood, is
the oldest piano company in the world. Their instruments have been played by Haydn,
Mozart, Dussek, Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt. The company holds the Royal Warrant as
manufacturer of pianos to Queen Elizabeth II.
Early technological progress owed much to Broadwood, which already had a reputation
for the splendour and powerful tone of its harpsichords. Broadwood built instruments
which were progressively larger, louder and more robustly constructed. Broadwood sent
pianos to both Haydn and Beethoven and was the first firm to build pianos with a range
of more than five octaves: five and a fifth in the 1790s, six by 1800 (Beethoven used the
extra notes in his later works) and seven by 1820. The Viennese makers followed these
trends but their instruments had more sensitive piano actions.
BRONSART