17 JEAN-PHILIPPE COLLARD The Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C major, BWV564, has come down to us — like most of these works — only through copies, one of which inserts an Adagio into the traditional diptych form. Beyond all the showmanship of the toccata — opened by a kind of recitative leading into a symphonic movement — and the lively fugue, the central section reflects Italian influence through a true concerto-style aria, featuring a dark, complex, and unexpected concluding homophonic episode. But it is beyond the organ itself that Busoni projects himself as he takes hold of these masterpieces. His instrumental genius transcends the question of medium, drawing on the full potential of the piano to convey — through its own, modern means — the universality of Bach’s musical message. And to express it in a new language that further highlights its enduring depth. This is what captivated Jean-Philippe Collard and shaped his keyboard approach to an art he places on a higher plane — an art he has been familiar with since his youth.
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