Aurora: Risto Lauriala

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685–1750) – FERRUCCIO BUSONI
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (Jesus Christ for us now), BWV 659 
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Rise up now, the voice of the Lord echoes), BWV 645 
Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g`mein (Rejoice all Christians), BWV 734

Italian-born composer Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) became known to Finns when he taught piano at the Helsinki Conservatory in the early 1890s. Alongside his own compositions, one of his passions was bringing the music of Johann Sebastian Bach to life and arranging it for the piano. Busoni published a Bach edition of 25 movements, which included Bach’s compositions originally written for piano as well as numerous arrangements of works for lute, violin and organ.

The piano works we hear now are actually multiple arrangements. “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland” (Jesus Christ for us now) is arranged for Bach’s organ coral (with the catalogue entry for Bach’s complete works BWV 659), which is based on the cantata of the same name BWV 61, which is based on a coral composed by Martin Luther in the 16th century, which is based on a medieval hymn by Bishop Ambrose. The Advent chorale is one of Bach’s most famous.

“Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme” (Rise up now, the voice of the Lord echoes) is based on the well-known chorale by Philipp Nicolai, which Bach used in the chorale “Zion hört die Wächter singen” of his cantata BWV 140 and arranged as a separate organ chorale BWV 645. Busoni’s arrangement is notable for the octaves of the bass throughout, echoing the lush sound of the organ’s footsteps.

‘Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g’mein’ is one of the shortest of Bach’s organ chorales. The chorale, which is often performed in piano accompaniment at breakneck speed, is again based on a chorale by St. Martin Luther. The bouncy nature of the bass adds to the joyful atmosphere of the chorale.

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH
Partita No. 2, C flat, BWV 826
I. Sinfonia
II. Allemande
III. Courante
IV. Sarabande
V. Rondeau
VI. Capriccio

Bach composed the six harpsichord parts as part of the collection Clavier-Übung, published in 1731 after he had already established himself as chancellor of the Church of St Thomas in Leipzig. Partita No 2 in C minor begins in the manner of a solemn French prelude and continues with a serious Allemande. The fiery Courante is followed by the pensive Sarabande. The final movements of the series, Rondeau and Capriccio, take the mood to more danceable tones.

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827)
Eroica Variations and Fugue, E-flat Major, Op. 35

The time of composition of the Eroica Variations op. 35 was not the easiest period in Beethoven’s life: by 1802 the young composer’s hearing had begun to deteriorate to such an extent that he even contemplated ending his life in his ‘Heiligenstadt Testament’, written to his brothers. In the extensive variation work, there is no sign of despair: a light-hearted theme, probably borrowed from Muzio Clement’s piano sonata, is transformed with dynamic and virtuosic twists and turns.

The opening of the work is unusual for the conventions of the time: Beethoven begins with a bass solo, which he varies over three variations. Only then does the actual theme and its variations emerge. Variation 14 quietens down into a mournful molle and leads to the solemnly slow variation 15 with its coda. From here begins a bloody fugue, followed by two Andante con moto variations to close the work.

Beethoven returned to the material the following year when he composed a new symphony. In its finale, the work, which was given the title ‘Eroica’, repeats the theme and variations of the piano variations, thus giving the piano work its name.

ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810–1856)
Symphonic Studies, Op. 13

Back in the early 1830s, Robert Schumann’s dream was to make a career as a piano virtuoso. Gradually, however, the paralysis in his right hand worsened, forcing Schumann to concentrate on composing. In 1834, Robert secretly became engaged to Ernestine von Fricken, a star pupil of his piano teacher Friedrich Wieck, and began to compose a large and ambitious work for her. Schumann chose as the theme for a series of variations a composition sent to him by Ernestine’s foster father, the amateur composer Baron Fricken.

In the end, the work did not become a conventional set of variations. Of the sixteen variations he composed, Schumann published only eleven, adding an etude modifying Heinrich Marschner’s Du stolzes England freue dich. This collection was published in 1837 as XII Études Symphoniques. Schumann had also originally divided the authorship of the movements according to his own dual personality: some etudes were written by the melancholic and introverted ‘Eusebius’, others by the flamboyant and dynamic ‘Florestan’.

In 1852, Schumann returned to the work and published it as Études en forme de variations, changing the piano texture and removing two movements that did not vary the original theme. After Schumann’s death in 1856, Friedrich Wieck (whose daughter Clara had become Robert’s wife) published his own combination of the earlier versions, and in 1890 Johannes Brahms added the five variations originally deleted by Schumann.

The symphonic etudes are considered one of the most demanding works of the Romantic period to perform. The virtuosic elements of the work are not so much intended to showcase the player’s skills as to create polyphonic textures and bring out the ‘orchestral colours’ of the piano. Schumann advised his wife Clara, one of Europe’s greatest pianists, not to play the work, as she felt it was not suitable for public performance.

Lauri Mäntysaari