Search - Beethoven, Frith :: Diabelli Variation

Superbly played "Diabelli Variations"

Mike Powers | Woolwich, ME USA | 07/09/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ludwig Van Beethoven composed the "Diabelli Variations" from 1819 to 1823, in response to a request from fellow composer Anton Diabelli. Diabelli had composed a simple musical theme and challenged 50 composers to write a variation on it. Beethoven's 33 variations on Diabelli's theme were judged at the time to be a masterpiece, even by Diabelli himself. Today they are considered by many to be the greatest keyboard variations ever written. British classical pianist Benjamin Frith offers a superb rendition of not only the "Diabelli Variations," but also Beethoven's earlier (1807-09) "32 Variations on an Original Theme," WoO 80. Each variation is performed with all the skill, dynamism, wit, and dramatic flair originally intended by Beethoven. Frith successfully captures the music's swift and sometimes subtle changes of mood. In the hands of this excellent pianist, the faster variations are wonderfully energetic, and the slower ones are sublimely poetic, with an often ethereal quality. The CD's sound quality is excellent, helped by the recording venue at the University of Cambridge Concert Hall. This is overall a wonderfully exciting performance and highly enjoyable listening experience. Highly recommended."