Music of Otto Luening
Liner Notes   Cat. No. NWCRL334     Release Date: 2010-11-15
Ursula Oppens, piano; Alec Wyton, organ

The Sonata For Piano (In Memoriam Ferruccio Busoni) was planned and completed for Busoni's centenary in 1966. This recording coincides with the 50th anniversary of his death. By a coincidence, the gifted young pianist, Ursula Oppens, who performed for this record, won the Busoni Prize in Bolzano in 1969.

The Fugue and Chorale Fantasy with Electronic Doubles for Organ and Tape (1973) consists of varied and easily recognizable sections from my Fugue (1971) and Chorale Fantasy (1922) for organ. The Electronic Doubles are based on tape recorded fragments from these two works, sometimes with slight variations, as played by the brilliant organ virtuoso Dr. Fred Titian on the large Ruffati pipe organ in St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco, and on the poly- synthesis stops of the new Hammond Concorde and the special Hammond X-66 organs.

With the technical assistance of Daria Semegen, approximately fifteen reels of timbre variations of these fragments were produced with the Bode Frequency Shifter at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in New York, and then put on tape. These variations were subsequently developed and worked into Electronic Doubles of the original material, being, in effect, electronic echoes of the various sections played by the organ. Careful timing and the timbre relationships between live and taped sound bring cohesiveness and an overall balance to the work. -Otto Luening

This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Full liner notes are accessible via the link above.

Ursula Oppens

Music of Otto Luening

MP3/320 $7.99
FLAC $7.99
WAV $7.99
CD-R $7.99
CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print material or jewel case included.
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
   Liner Notes



Track Listing

Sonata for Piano in Memoriam Ferruccio Busoni: I. Introduction
Otto Luening
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Sonata for Piano in Memoriam Ferruccio Busoni: II. Dramatic Scene
Otto Luening
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Sonata for Piano in Memoriam Ferruccio Busoni: III. Burlesque
Otto Luening
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Sonata for Piano in Memoriam Ferruccio Busoni: IV. Fantasia
Otto Luening
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Fugue and Chorale Fantasy with Electronic Doubles for Organ and Tape: I. Fugue
Otto Luening
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Fugue and Chorale Fantasy with Electronic Doubles for Organ and Tape: Chorale: II. Fantasy
Otto Luening
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