Diabelli Variations

[Mandryka]

Listening to Geoffrey Douglas Madge, my ears started to prick up in var 6. Madge's idea seems to be that one of the strengths of the music is in the counterpoint, and that's interesting I think. For me this one was put in the shade a bit by Uchida's release, Madge's came out in Autumn 2022 when I was thinking most about Uchida.  That was a shame, because we have something original here.  It's a "thoughtful" interpretation - he definitely does not see the music as a vehicle for displaying the piano player's skills, or for wowing the listener with speed or colour.  It's streaming everywhere.

If anyone has the booklet - is there anything interesting in it?

[San Antone]

Rudolf Buchbinder : The Diabelli Project
March 6, 2020



A new series of works based on Beethoven's monumental Diabelli Variations

Composers include:
Beethoven
Liszt
Schubert
Czerny
Franz Xaver Mozart
Lera Auerbach
Brett Dean
Tan Dun
Toshio Hosokawa
Christian Jost
Brad Lubman
Philippe Manoury
Max Richter
Rodion Shchedrin
Johannes Maria Staud
Jörg Widmann

He also published a book in which he discusses each variation and brought out what I found to be interesting concepts about the construction of the work as a whole, as opposed to just a set of individual variations.

Along with some of the historical variations other than Beethoven's he invited a group of living composers to contribute new variations, all of which he included in the recording. 

I found the entire package very rewarding.

[Mandryka]

Listening to Geoffrey Douglas Madge, my ears started to prick up in var 6. Madge's idea seems to be that one of the strengths of the music is in the counterpoint, and that's interesting I think. For me this one was put in the shade a bit by Uchida's release, Madge's came out in Autumn 2022 when I was thinking most about Uchida.  That was a shame, because we have something original here.  It's a "thoughtful" interpretation - he definitely does not see the music as a vehicle for displaying the piano player's skills, or for wowing the listener with speed or colour.  It's streaming everywhere.

If anyone has the booklet - is there anything interesting in it?

The booklet for Madge's recording. Not very interesting as far as I can see, but here it is anyway.

https://static.qobuz.com/goodies/43/000152834.pdf

[Atriod]

I generally prefer romantic era variations, but these last few years Diabelli Variations is one of my most played works from Beethoven.

Updated list from a couple of years ago, in no particular order

Charles Rosen
R. Serkin (Columbia and BBC, better sound on the latter)
Brautigam
Schiff (ECM Bechstein)
Kovacevich* live (Onyx)
Gulda (Harmonia Mundi France)
Schnabel - uneven but much to like, a smiling performance

*never cared for his Philips recording

[Mandryka]

Gerard Willems. The piano is of course special, it's not just large, but it's also colourful with a distinct timbres in the registers. Nothing steely about the tone. Willems can drive it - he can play delicately and forcefully. It's well recorded. One to know for sure.

[Mandryka]

Vestard Shimkus. Nuanced, possibly to a fault. He even tries to make the theme sound like "great music." But it's certainly worth knowing about even if you reject it, it's not like any other I can remember - maybe Uchida, I'd have to check. It won't please anyone who insists that Beethoven is a barnstorming boor even in later music. Good sound.

Booklet here

https://static.qobuz.com/goodies/55/000213655.pdf

[Holden]

Yes, this certainly different but apart from idiosynchracity it sort of tends to stop there.

As I've probably mentioned earlier, it's how you play that theme that should determine how you approach the rest of the variations that follow.  How fast you play the theme is reflected in the speed of those initial variations. You should also be to hear where you applied accents, where you raised or lowered the dynamic range and so on.

My interest was piqued when I heard that theme - certainly very different - but unlike Uchida (who does this very well) you can't hear those little nuances and this right from the first variation. I didn't hear this applied until Var IX with the way the grace notes were played. To me it is the theme and "Hmmm, how shall I play this variation?" approach. This results in a lack of coherency and I quickly lost focus.