Classical Music | Piano Music

Recorded on 11/29/2005, uploaded on 01/10/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Passacaglia                Leopold  Godowsky

44 variations, cadenza and fugue on the opening theme of Schubert's 'Unfinished' Symphony

Composed in honor of the centenary of Schubert's death, Godowsky's Passacaglia on the theme of Schubert's Unfinished Symphony treats the first eight bars of Schubert's Unfinished Symphony as a ground bass in the traditional Baroque manner, for forty-four variations. The variations present Schubert's theme in many registers and guises, and also incorporate allusions to his other works, including the Erl-König.  A virtuoso cadenza leads to the closing fugue, a further reference to the Baroque style. The piece has earned a reputation as being among the most difficult in the repertoire, partly because of Horowitz's comment that it required six hands to play it.  In a letter to his friend and former pupil, Godowsky writes that "The Passacaglia gave me new strength and a feeling of aloofness. I hope you will not interpret this as a gesture of conceit or bravado. I simply believe that my latest work is a great expression of human loftiness. While composing it, I felt I was purifying my soul and looking into eternity."   Xiang Zou

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.