Sharon Barnea, pianist http://sharon.barnea.free.fr This Lecture Recital will be presented for the Grove Forum, Royal College of Music, London, on the 29th September, 2005 – 5.15 pm (Durrington Room)

Title: J. S. Bach's Chaconne in D minor: A comparison of three arrangements for Piano Solo

Abstract: The Chaconne (Ciaccona) from Bach’s Second Violin Partita in D minor (BWV 1004) is one of the most frequently transcribed compositions by Bach or any composer. Among these arrangements, the concert-transcription made by Italian composer-pianist Ferruccio Busoni remains the most celebrated of all. Although Brahms and other lesser-known composers -including Siloti, Raff, Pillney, Pauer, Lamping and Briskierhave also made transcriptions of the Chaconne for piano solo, I feel none has been able to meet the dramatic excellence of Busoni’s version. In fact, the success of Busoni’s transcription may be explained in relation to its creative pianistic orchestration and its freedom regarding the medium. I believe that, by transferring freely the grandeur of the original violin version to the piano, Busoni actually transcends any so-called ‘authentic’ transcription in its faithfulness towards Bach’s initial conception of the piece. Through the use of the original score for violin and a few selected piano transcriptions based on Busoni’s arrangement, I shall demonstrate the strengths of Busoni’s version. This study will eventually show that knowledge of several transcriptions made from one piece can greatly improve one’s own understanding of the original text, and in this case, can give a more insightful appreciation of the Bach-Busoni arrangement.