Francesca Dego: Busoni

The Strad Issue: February 2025

Description: A worthwhile late entry to last year’s Busoni anniversary

Musicians: Francesca Dego (violin) Francesca Leonardi (piano)

Works: Busoni: Violin Sonatas nos.1 and 2; Four Bagatelles

Catalogue number: CHANDOS CHAN20304

Busoni’s First Violin Sonata has great Romantic sweep, which Francesca Dego plays in fine style, declamatory and singing. Later she is feather-light in the busy leggiero staccato quavers. She is adept at the many abrupt changes of character and voice, rhythmically dynamic one moment, thoughtfully gentle the next. After the halting gestures at the outset of the second movement she brings tonal richness to its melody, and does full justice to the broad espresso theme at Tempo II. There’s a nervy sensibility to the first section of the third movement and nobility to the broad melody that follows, culminating in a sure, understated dramatic thread through the Con fuoco final section.

The opening of the Second Sonata has an almost sacred air, with a long, diffuse theme in which Dego’s little portamentos sound rather out of place. The second-movement Presto bustles along, with Dego neatly shaping the twisting legato lines and energetically clipping through the separated quaver passages. The mournful Andante segues into a chorale melody reminiscent of Busoni’s beloved Bach (who didn’t actually write it), with a sequence of variations to follow. Dego has a curious way of pulling back at the moments when Busoni marks the music to be loud and climactic.

The violin part of the Four Bagatelles barely strays beyond first position; Dego imbues it with charm and wit. Pianist Francesca Leonardi is very fine throughout, captured in a close and well-balanced recording.

TIM HOMFRAY