DIABELLI-VARIATIONS

András Schiff (piano)

Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations are considered a magnum opus of the piano repertoire, a towering contribution to the genre and an entire encyclopaedia of pianism. Following his monumental exploration of the 32 Sonatas, András Schiff has recorded - on two period instruments - remarkable, contrasting versions of the Diabelli Variations alongside major late works with intrinsic ties to them.

The Sonata Op. 111 and the Diabelli Variations (CD 1) are played on an original Bechstein grand from 1921, and the second reading of the Diabelli Variations (paired with the Six Bagatelles, Op. 126 on CD 2) on a Hammerflügel fortepiano from Beethoven’s own day.

This gives listeners a unique opportunity to compare the rich range of these highly contrasting sonic universes, a world apart from modern day instruments. The first is a studio recording from Lugano in December 2012, while the fortepiano version was recorded at the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn in July of the same year. In his liner note András Schiff acknowledges the value of having been able to consult the previously unknown original manuscript of the Variations which provided invaluable insight into Beethoven’s compositional process - with his penmanship and writing speed offering subtle hints as to crescendos, tempos and arcs of tension - and intentions.

Beethoven:
 6 Bagatelles, Op. 126
 Diabelli Variations, Op. 120
 Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111

"I've been convinced of the success with which pianist and both instruments inhabit everything undertaken here. It's an impressive achievement. Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111"
Gramophone Magazine - December 2013

"Schiff's passion for this music, and his ability to communicate it, is apparent in every bar...The two instruments he plays each have a lean tone and the interpretation of the Diabellis doesn't alter much. Played on the Bechstein, the work's close relationship to Op. 111...is obvious."
BBC Music Magazine - Christmas Issue 2013 ****