Bach in late-romantic/modern music?

[pianovirus]

I'm looking for 20th/21st century piano works dealing with Bach's music in one way or another. These could be from any genre: transcriptions, arrangements, variations, original compositions containing just snippets from Bach, ....

I'd be equally interested in pieces written in a late romantic (a la Reger's Bach Variations) or in a (post-)modern idiom. Any suggestions?

[giannalinda]

I'm looking for 20th/21st century piano works dealing with Bach's music in one way or another. These could be from any genre: transcriptions, arrangements, variations, original compositions containing just snippets from Bach, ....

I'd be equally interested in pieces written in a late romantic (a la Reger's Bach Variations) or in a (post-)modern idiom. Any suggestions?

nope i dont have any.... Bach was in the Baroqe period so...i dont think theres anything...try beethoven...hes known to have one foot in classical and one in romantic...hes the one who made the transition from late classical to early romantic...

[healdie]

well I know the WTC inspired Shostakovich to wrtie his preludes and fugues and the forms of many of these are based on bachs but I don't know if thats what you mean

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Re the transcriptions subset of your query:
I assume you will have already taken a look at a fair amount of Bach-Busoni. This isn't really a specialist area of my knowledge, but I believe there are transcriptions by Petri, Feinberg and a few other famous pianists. I recall Thal speaking highly of the transcriptions by Martucci, but I've not looked at them. Not sure if technically speaking they are 20th century either, as he died 1909.

Edit: The Opus Transcribisticum database at https://www.pianophilia.com/ot/ might be useful to you.

[retrouvailles]

There are three major works of the 20th century that deal with Bach, or are in homage to Bach. The Fantasia Contrappuntistica by Busoni is one of his greatest works and is partially a completion of the final Contrapunctus from the Art of Fugue. Next is the (in)famous Opus Clavicebalisticum by Sorabji, which was written in homage to Busoni's piece. It contains some wonderful fugal writing in it. The third piece I thought of was Kenneth Leighton's Fantasia Contrappuntistica, which is much shorter than Busoni's (and infinitely shorter than Sorabji's), but still no less of a piece. It is also radically different from Busoni's work of the same name, but still has some great contrapuntal writing that would surely make Bach proud. I highly recommend looking at all three, even though the Sorabji is impossible.

[communist]

The great Russian pianist Anatoly Verdinikov transcribed two of the Brandenburg concerti and  some choral preludes (all to solo piano). Tausig transcribed some choral preludes as well which would be worth taking a look at.

[quirky]

This page has quite a few Bach inspired pieces...

https://www.bach-cantatas.com/NVD/PT-BWV-10.htm

...including pieces by Liszt, Godowsky, Dutilleux, Bartok...

[pianovirus]

Thanks very much for the replies so far. Right, the Busoni Fantasia Contrappuntistica is a wonderful example! I was not aware of the work by Leighton of the same name, apparently even subtitled "Homage to Bach" -- it promises to be very interesting, too.

Here are a number of works I came across in addition to those mentioned so far:
- Busoni: Fantasia nach J.S.Bach alla Memoria di mio Padre Ferdinando Busoni (1909)
(the organ chorale prelude transcriptions are not in the focus of my question as they are in romantic idiom as works by Petri, Feinberg&co. --- to clarify: I love this stuff! just looking for new things in this thread)
- Sorabji:
--- Transcription in the light of harpsichord technique of Chromatic F&F
--- Transcendental Study #99 (also a free transcription of the Chrom. Fantasy I think)
--- Prelude for piano after J.S. Bach (transcription of the first movement of French Suite No. 4 in E flat major)

- Stevenson: Passacaglia on DSCH: Not sure if it contains explicit quotes from Bach (except for the BACH motive). However, no doubt it has a lot of influence from Bach anyway.
- Pepping: Drei Fugen über BACH (1944) - I haven't seen or heard this so far.

Of course, more or less strong influences from Bach could be attributed to countless works (including the Schosty 24), while many of the works mentioned so far make more explicit reference to this influence.

Edit: quirky, thanks to you as well. Interesting list on that site.

Btw, even though it's from well within the 19th century, large parts of Liszt's Variations on Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen sound quite bold harmonically (not the ending of course )

Any further hints/advice would be great.

[scottmcc]

On a much less serious note, the great fictional rock band Spinal Tap was heavily influenced by Bach.  One of their lead guitarists, Nigel Tufnel, says that as a composer, he's something like a cross between Mozart and Bach, a Mach. 

on a semi-serious note, Rush really was influenced by Bach.  I hear echoes of his compositions in almost all of their works.

[healdie]

On a much less serious note, the great fictional rock band Spinal Tap was heavily influenced by Bach.  One of their lead guitarists, Nigel Tufnel, says that as a composer, he's something like a cross between Mozart and Bach, a Mach. 

on a semi-serious note, Rush really was influenced by Bach.  I hear echoes of his compositions in almost all of their works.

yeah the beautiful piano ballad "lick my love pump"

listen to the organ solo in the song highway star by deep purple that is so Bach influenced or anything by Yngwie malmsteen

[edwardweiss]

 The Variations Op.81 by Max Reger are very difficult, and the Fugue extremely difficult, I would say-so there is a huge amount of work involved in just learning the notes and the fingering. The same goes for Sorabji's Transcription in the Light of Harpsichord Technique of the Chromatic Fantasy and the [Different] Fugue BWV.948. I keep picking up Busoni's Fantasia Contrappuntistica-then I put it down again as I will never be able to equal John Ogdon, Petri, or Mewton-Wood in the work. However the Fantasia after Bach is a great work and more do-able. And retrouvailles mentioned the Kenneth Leighton Fantasia Contrappuntistica which I used to practice at one time-a really good work seldom played-and given its first performance by Pollini I believe.

[minor9th]

You might look into Anthony Newman. He writes a lot of neo-baroque pieces, including a Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H for organ and 12 Preludes and Fugues for piano. I imagine he has a few other Bach-inspired pieces.