🇮🇹Ferruccio Busoni ： Macchiette Medioevali: Astrologo (Astrologer), No.5 Op.33

This miniature is the fifth piece from Busoni’s Macchiette Medioevali. It condenses into a brief musical scene the mysterious gestures associated with an astrologer together with an almost clownish exaggeration, drawing the ear through its expressive melodic writing and changing harmonic colors. Its theatrical character and the contrast between a composed manner of delivery and more vivid movement are among its chief attractions. In performance, the melody should be brought clearly forward from the accompaniment, with a sense of space and without rushing. Clearly shaping the changes in accents and dynamics helps define the character. The smaller details should remain light, while clear textures and expressive, stage-like phrasing give even the brief phrases a vivid presence.