Regarding Dan Wilson's reply in MMD 000326 to Jurgen Goering's quote
from the book by Norman Lebrecht:

1.  Most of Lebrecht's stories are apocryphal, though amusing.  He has
little documentation for many of them.  In particular the Busoni quote:

  In 1912, Busoni recorded for Hupfeld, and made no comment on the
  occasion of having listened to Godowsky's playing; just that he had
  audited G.'s recordings and his own at the session.
  (Letter to his wife dated July 12)

2.  Busoni played for Anton Rubinstein in Vienna when he was nine, and
Rubinstein was so impressed with him that he recommended to Busoni's
father that he remove the child from public exploitation and educate
him instead.

3.  Busoni did not dislike the pianola, and in another letter to his
wife, indicates that he amused himself by recreating the performances
as follows:

  Berlin on July 21, 1909, he wrote:  "The days pass by as the rolls
  unwind:  if one is very diligent and concentrated, one can add some
  interesting and expressive passages.  What has been neglected
  disappears, and if one doesn't pay attention, the roll, almost
  unnoticed, reaches it's end."

4.  Busoni's relations with Brahms were cordial, but not particularly
enthusiastic (for Brahms' compositions).  He visited the composer once
and Brahms was his usual grumpy self, until Busoni was ready to go.
Then Brahms said, "and there goes the young composer...," indicating
that he had been impressed with what he had been shown.

Busoni was essentially a _composer_ pianist, and regarded the job of
performing in public with distaste, only doing it in order to support
his aging parents and his own family (wife and two sons).  On the other
hand, I believe that Godowsky was essentially a _pianist_, and
secondarily a composer/transcriber.  So Busoni may well have thought
little of Godowsky's prowess, in light of his own absolute mastery of
the instrument.

5.  Re Dan Wilson's remark about EMI's duty:  the eight released 78 rpm
recordings from the group made by Busoni on two separate occasions:
July, 1919 and February 27, 1922 have been released on PEARL GEMM 9341.
They are pretty miserable in sound, and not particularly successful as
interpretations.  Busoni felt that the process was flawed in all
respects, and one can derive little from what Columbia then (EMI now)
released in light of his awesome reputation.

Reproducing Piano Roll Foundation (RPRF) is completing its web site
on Busoni, which will contain all relevant aspects of his life and
work: a brief biography; listings of his historic Berlin Philharmonic
concerts given between 1902 and 1909; his concert repertoire; his
compositions; a discography of present-day recordings by others; his
own meagre contributions and a more extensive biography of his "life
and times" (1866-1924).  This project has as inspiration a similar
treatment of Godowsky, incidentally.  MMD'ers are directed to
http://www.godowsky.com/

We will advise on the MMD when it is completed and ready for viewing.

Cheers!

Albert M. Petrak