🇮🇹Ferruccio Busoni ： Macchiette Medioevali: Menestrello (Minstrel), No.6 Op.33

Busoni’s No. 6, “Minstrel,” from Macchiette Medioevali is a miniature that invites the listener to savor piano writing suggestive of a speaking melody and lightly theatrical gestures, guided by the figure indicated in its title. As one piece in the collection, it condenses shifts in character and changing expression into a brief span, with the exchange between melody and accompaniment providing one of its main points of interest. In performance, the principal melody should be brought clearly to the fore, while the smaller movements remain flexible rather than mechanical. Without overstating dynamic contrasts, preserving an air of an old-fashioned stage and a touch of wit helps bring the work’s character into focus.