Carolyne Rose

Italo-German composer Ferruccio Busoni was a titanic piano virtuoso and an architect of European modernism. Best known for his transcriptions of J.S. Bach and for his Piano Concerto, Fantasia Contrappuntistica, and opera Doktor Faust, Busoni revolutionized piano technique and opened up new harmonic concepts within boundaries of functional harmony. Busoni's idea of junge klassizität (renewed classicality) served as a building block for neo-classicism and his book remains influential. Busoni led a Berlin-based master class, training composers and pianists alike. Busoni was the son of an Italian clarinet virtuoso who was a harsh and demanding pedagogue.