Not sure if this is a child's piece, as the Latin title suggests... Whatever the case, here we have the usually dark, defiant, and abstract Busoni in smiling mood, full of good humour. I find this an utterly charming piece, and I hope some of it shines through. Recorded this afternoon.

Busoni - Sonatina No.3 (Ad usum infantis Madeline M.*Americanæ, pro Clavicembalo composita)

I have little experience with Busoni so I cannot really comment on it. But from what I have heard of him, his works are indeed dark and abstract so this was a bit suprising even though the gloomy side shines through here and there. Well played from what I can hear!

Very well played Chris!

But I just don't get Busoni; I can't focus on his music, my mind wanders. So I make myself pay attention and then it makes me nervous and annoyed. The themes are interesting but not very memorable, if that makes sense. He seems to be deliberately writing against the natural flow of his material. Why?

Of course "why not" is the answer, he can write what he wants to. Maybe I'll change, but I've known his music for a long time now, and I still haven't come around to it. He uses simple materials, and makes them (needlessly imo) complex. You have a nursery rhyme, why put in weird chords and rythyms? You only scare the children...

Just my reaction, always has been.

Now you know how I feel about Scriabin ! Sorry, couldn't resist that

But I know where you're coming from. Truly, Busoni's music is a curate's egg. He can be bewildering and exasperating, often at the same time. This Sonatina though, and the nr.4 I did earlier, are not so typical of him, and are IMHO very charming, beautiful and deeply felt pieces with none of the tortuous intellectual rigour we often associate with Busoni. It should be possible for anyone to appreciate them even if you don't generally dig the man and his music.

Yes, I liked it too!

Funny, it is so often the case that if someone finds a piece itself very charming, that this attitiude shines really through right to the listener's ears. That is the case here. I am not sure whether the piece is beautiful itself, but you play it so and that's what is important!

Maybe so.... But what good is it to convey that I love the piece, if the listeners don't share the feeling, and are still unsure whether they like the music or not... It strikes me time and time again how extremely conservative tastes are on this forum, and how little people have been exposed to non-mainstream music. There is so much more out there than Chopin, Rach and Bach.... Ah well, I'll just continue submitting all the odd stuff that nobody cares about except me. It's a dirty job and someone has to do it

Chris, I hate to tell you this, but I listened to your post of this right after you submitted it. I didn't say anything, because I felt too stupid to say anything worthy. Now, I will say this: Over the time I have been here, I have learned much about music and composers I never heard of before, so I'm very glad you post these unfamiliar pieces.