Busoni’s Sonatinas form a fascinating collection, showing the wide range of the composer’s ideas and inspirations.
The first two are rather experimental works, reflecting Busoni’s contact with Schoenberg – the Second Sonatina was Busoni’s first work “without tonality”. No. 3, composed for the harpsichord, is a suite in a kind of neo-classical style.
The fourth Sonatina is a subdued reflection an Christmas, while the fifth is one of the composer’s many reworkings of Bach’s music, this time the Fantasy and Fugue in D minor BWV 905. The final, sixth work in the series is a rather spectacular,
Lisztian fantasy using themes from Bizet’s Carmen.
