Episode description
Pianist Kirill Gerstein chooses the conductor and composer Ferruccio Busoni. Matthew Parris presents.
When Busoni died in Berlin in 1924, his pupil Kurt Weill said, "We did not lose a human being but a value."
Unravelling exactly what this means is the pianist Kirill Gerstein, a great admirer of Busoni and also a performer of his work. Busoni was a thinker as well as a composer. His book from 1907, Sketch of a New Esthetic of Music, has influenced generations of musicians.
With contributions from Erinn Knyt and Anthony Beaumont
Producer: Miles Warde.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2019.