Expert: Jim Frimmer - 12/17/2010

Question
As follows a forwarding, as suggested below, of the question that I sent to Marbeth but couldn't be answered.

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Question:
Hi

First of all, I'd like to shortly express my appreciation and regard for this website and its experts and supporters. I spent the whole morning, after weeks of wondering and waiting for an answer from the radio station that made me wonder in the first place, looking for the specifications of the following piece, f.ex. using a trial version of TuneUp and others. Since computer recognition, and more importantly its databases, remains inferior in this case, I'm very glad I can stumble upon this site.

So, as stated above, a little over 2 weeks ago (the 28th of Nov), there was a short piano piece played on the only quality classical music radio station in the northern part of Belgium, called Klara, at the end of a philosopical program (Rondas) I tend to listen (link to the program's chronology: http://radio.klara.be/radio/10_herbeluisteren.php?code=RON). Mostly, the program plays some Goldberg Variation by J.S. Bach (played by Gould), but this time, it was definitely something else, although in a way in the vicinity of it, in the fact that it's a short minute and a half piano 'etude' in a kind of baroque pre-romantic style with perhaps a vivace and/or animato mood (forgive me if that is a false analysis —edit: well, it's a bit different than that, it has a very melancholic and sentimental tone to it; it's certainly a wonderful piece to me, that's why I'm a bit desperate!). I'll let you do the thinking on that — I created a stream version of the song via this link: http://uploads.mp3songurls.com/rondas.mp3 It seems to go slow, so if that doesn't work, resort to: http://www.4shared.com/audio/c39GLVNY/rondas.html

I have a feeling you might well recognize it or at the least provide me with valuable info or perhaps forward me to another expert, seeing your clear and concise notes. I hope the above suffices for you and I really esteem your effort.

Answer:
First, thank you for your detail and thoughtful analysis!  I hope I am able to help you.

The songurls link didn't work, but the 4shared one did.

I do not recognize the piece, but it does sound Baroque.  It sounds like Bach, yet doesn't.  Perhaps it's a "neo-Baroque" piece...by someone like Distler or Hindemith.  I doubt it is either of them, however, because there is an absence of the modern idiom in the piece.

I will forward the link to two friends with wide-ranging listening experience.  Perhaps one of them will know it.  I will get back to you on this.
mb

12-17-10 update
My associates aren't having any luck, either, in identifying your piece.  I'm sorry.

I think what you should do is submit the original question to another Expert.  I think there's also something called the 'question pool,' and this sends the query to all the Experts in this field.  I'd suggest writing directly to one Expert, however.  I hope one of them can help you. I'm sorry that I can't.
mb
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I hope you can help me!

Answer
This is a piano transcription of the Chaconne from the the Violin Partita no 2 in D minor by J.S. Bach.  It is probably the transcription that Ferrucio Busoni did, but I am not positive without hearing the whole piece (which is about 12-15 minutes long).