Variation[s], Vol. 1: Beethoven, Mozart, Schumann, Webern in Bloomington, MN

One may be puzzled initially to see
Mozart
,
Schumann
(twice), and
Webern
on a program in a cycle devoted to the complete variation sets of
Beethoven
, but this is a typically ambitious idea from pianist
Cedric Tiberghien
and the music of the other composers mostly has connections to
.
's
Etudes in Variation form on a Theme by Beethoven, WoO 31
, are underrated indeed, weaving quotations from several other
symphonies into its basic material from the slow movement of the
Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92
. Perhaps the
Variations, Op. 27
, are the odd piece out here; it is debatable whether they are variations at all, but in a way, the pieces by the other composers strengthen
Tiberghien
's main thesis, which is that
's variations are fully serious works that shouldn't be underestimated. His cycle opens with the
Variations and Fugue in E flat major, Op. 35
, called the
"Eroica Variations"
because they use a theme that recurred in the finale of
Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55
gives these a big, sweeping performance that suggests the work's prominence in
's output. Yet even the smaller sets, based on simple operatic arias of the day, have some weight in
's performances, which indicate ways in which
worked out problems of register and harmony in these works. By the end, when
offers a transcendent performance of
Geistervariationen
(the last work
wrote, already in the grip of madness), the listener has the feeling of having been on quite a ride. One is excited to discover the content and structure of
's next volume, which presumably will include the
Diabelli Variations, Op. 120
. ~ James Manheim