Ludwig van Beethoven: 33 Variations in C major on a Waltz by Diabelli, Op. 120, "Diabelli Variations"
Theme: Vivace
Variation 1: Alla Marcia, maestoso
Variation 2: Poco allegro
Variation 3: L'istesso tempo
Variation 4: Un poco piu vivace
Variation 5: Allegro vivace
Variation 6: Allegro ma non troppo e serioso
Variation 7: Un poco piu allegro
Variation 8: Poco vivace
Variation 9: Allegro pesante e risoluto
Variation 10: Presto
Variation 11: Allegretto
Variation 12: Un poco piu mosso
Variation 13: Vivace
Variation 14: Grave e maestoso
Variation 15: Presto scherzando
Variation 16: Allegro
Variation 17: (Allegro)
Variation 18: Poco moderato
Variation 19: Presto
Variation 20: Andante
Variation 21: Allegro con brio
Variation 22: Allegro molto
Variation 23: Allegro assai
Variation 24: Fughetta - Andante
Variation 25: Allegro
Variation 26: (Piacevole)
Variation 27: Vivace
Variation 28: Allegro
Variation 29: Adagio ma non troppo
Variation 30: Andante, sempre cantabile
Variation 31: Largo, molto espressivo
Variation 32: Fuga - Allegro
Variation 33: Tempo di Menuetto, moderato
March 2008
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“Serkin was a forceful, direct pianist, who mainly avoided charm and caprice. Nonetheless, Beethoven's Diabolic Variations get full justice from him, and he is a profound interpreter of late Brahms.”
August 2007
“Serkin in concert – performances that really capture the pianist’s essence…he possessed that rare ability to project the widest range of dynamics so that every note would speak and connect to audiences in a large venue regardless of where they sat. In the 12 years separating his benchmark 1957 recording of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations and this concert transmission, slow, introspective variations like Nos 14 and 31 have become more ascetic and rhythmically contained while certain lyrical variations take on greater lightness and flexibility…”
“These are both indispensable additions to the pianist’s discography.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
6 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 35: No. 1 in E minor
