Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Anna Heller plays the choral prelude arranged by Raphael Fusco.
THREE CHORALES (2018)
A chorale prelude is a short composition which introduces and develops a hymn melody. The rich tradition culminated in Protestant northern Germany with the organ works of Buxtehude and J. S. Bach, and continues in protestant churches across the world. Three Chorales stems from a set of compositions entitled Little Organ Book (an homage to J.S. Bach’s monumental Orgelbüchlein). Inspired by Ferruccio Busoni’s masterful piano transcriptions of Bach’s organ works, these chorale preludes are remixed for piano solo. They adorn three favorite church melodies with Jazz harmonies and kaleidoscopic accompaniments built from fragments of the hymn tunes themselves. Three Chorales was premiered in a private performance at the Manhattan apartment of opera legend Martina Arroyo in 2018.
- About the Artist -
Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “a lively player and fine improviser,” composer and pianist Raphael Fusco crosses genres and bridges cultures through music. Equally at home conducting Italian opera, playing Gospel organ or tuning antique harpsichords, his compositions fuse Jazz harmonies and Rock grooves with Baroque counterpoint, Classical structures, Romantic gestures, Minimalism and Serialism.
He has performed with soloists and ensembles including Branford Marsalis, New York Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, and Amherst Early Music Festival in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Verizon Hall, Lobkewicz Palace in Prague, Irving Plaza and The Stone Pony. He is the recipient of awards from the American Prize, Aliénor International Harpsichord Composition Competition, NATS Art Song Competition, two artist residencies in the Piccola Accademia di Montisi, and grants from REC Music Foundation, ConEdison/Exploring the Metropolis, and National Italian American Federation.
Mr. Fusco studied piano, composition, and conducting at Manhattan School of Music, Conservatorio G. Verdi of Turin, and earned his Masters Degree in composition from the Mannes College of Music in New York where he studied with David Loeb, Robert Cuckson, and Carl Schachter. He also studied composition in Paris with disciples of Nadia Boulanger, piano with László Geréb at the Vienna Konservatorium and organ with the legendary Jacques van Oortmerssen in Amsterdam. He is currently on faculty in the Kunstuniversität in Graz and the Classic Lyric Arts and Opera Lucca festivals.
raphaelfusco.com
Anna Heller plays the choral prelude arranged by Raphael Fusco.
THREE CHORALES (2018)
A chorale prelude is a short composition which introduces and develops a hymn melody. The rich tradition culminated in Protestant northern Germany with the organ works of Buxtehude and J. S. Bach, and continues in protestant churches across the world. Three Chorales stems from a set of compositions entitled Little Organ Book (an homage to J.S. Bach’s monumental Orgelbüchlein). Inspired by Ferruccio Busoni’s masterful piano transcriptions of Bach’s organ works, these chorale preludes are remixed for piano solo. They adorn three favorite church melodies with Jazz harmonies and kaleidoscopic accompaniments built from fragments of the hymn tunes themselves. Three Chorales was premiered in a private performance at the Manhattan apartment of opera legend Martina Arroyo in 2018.
- About the Artist -
Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “a lively player and fine improviser,” composer and pianist Raphael Fusco crosses genres and bridges cultures through music. Equally at home conducting Italian opera, playing Gospel organ or tuning antique harpsichords, his compositions fuse Jazz harmonies and Rock grooves with Baroque counterpoint, Classical structures, Romantic gestures, Minimalism and Serialism.
He has performed with soloists and ensembles including Branford Marsalis, New York Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Princeton Symphony Orchestra, and Amherst Early Music Festival in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Verizon Hall, Lobkewicz Palace in Prague, Irving Plaza and The Stone Pony. He is the recipient of awards from the American Prize, Aliénor International Harpsichord Composition Competition, NATS Art Song Competition, two artist residencies in the Piccola Accademia di Montisi, and grants from REC Music Foundation, ConEdison/Exploring the Metropolis, and National Italian American Federation.
Mr. Fusco studied piano, composition, and conducting at Manhattan School of Music, Conservatorio G. Verdi of Turin, and earned his Masters Degree in composition from the Mannes College of Music in New York where he studied with David Loeb, Robert Cuckson, and Carl Schachter. He also studied composition in Paris with disciples of Nadia Boulanger, piano with László Geréb at the Vienna Konservatorium and organ with the legendary Jacques van Oortmerssen in Amsterdam. He is currently on faculty in the Kunstuniversität in Graz and the Classic Lyric Arts and Opera Lucca festivals.
raphaelfusco.com
