Is not every musical motif a seed with a life seed? Must not every plant find its own form? And, despite its many forms, do not all these plants thereby follow the law of eternal harmony? Such thoughts were formulated by Busoni in his Proof of a New Aesthetics. They are ideas that have their "roots" in the music of
Beethoven and Brahms. The concerts on this CD grew out of that vegetative tradition.
In that respect, it is strange that the violin concertos by Busoni and Brahms have not been combined more often. It must have something to do with the fact that Brahms' concerto eventually became a popular classic, while Busoni's once popular concerto fell into oblivion. By the way, Busoni wrote a remarkable cadenza for Brahms' Violin Concerto, with a sort of organ point for the timpani. Violinist Francesca Dego chose to use this cadenza. (HJ)more
