# Diabelli Varitions - Favorite Newer Recording?



## Guest (Nov 24, 2016)

I want to find a better recording of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations and would appreciate some suggestions. I prefer the clarity of newer recordings from that last 30 years. Also I wonder if there are any female pianists of the last 30 years who have recorded the work. I currently have a version by Andreas Staier that is interesting but the piano he used became somewhat distracting after the initial novelty wore off. I also have a recording by Olli Mustonen which does nothing for me.


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## shadowdancer (Mar 31, 2014)

Jerome said:


> I want to find a better recording of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations and would appreciate some suggestions. I prefer the clarity of newer recordings from that last 30 years. Also I wonder if there are any female pianists of the last 30 years who have recorded the work. I currently have a version by Andreas Staier that is interesting but the piano he used became somewhat distracting after the initial novelty wore off. I also have a recording by Olli Mustonen which does nothing for me.


I couldn't recommend enough the outstanding artistic and sound quality of the recording below.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

One of the most recent recordings is Igor Levit on Sony and another good one from 2011 Paul Lewis on Harmonia Mundi.
Both are outstanding.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The one I listen to most often is the Vladimir Ashkenazy performance.


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## Guest (Nov 24, 2016)

shadowdancer said:


> I couldn't recommend enough the outstanding artistic and sound quality of the recording below.


I see this includes two recordings, one on piano and one on fortepiano. That is interesting. Thanks for the recommendation. I will give it a listen.


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## Guest (Nov 24, 2016)

Still no females. I can't find any who have recorded it lately.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Jerome said:


> Still no females. I can't find any who have recorded it lately.


I thought Daria Rabotkina's recording was exceptional. Other recordings I liked when I was exploring the music were

Leonard Shure (Epic)
Michael Oelbaum
Rosen
Kuerti
Sokolov
Pollini (live preferably)
Horszowski
Bernard Roberts
S Richter (Amsterdam)
Nikolayeva 1979
Brendel 2001
Kovacevich (Onyx)
Hans Petermandl


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Jerome said:


> Still no females. I can't find any who have recorded it lately.


I am a bit confused, by recently you really mean the last 30 years or let's say last decade?


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I agree with Pugg on both counts. Paul Lewis and Igor Levit are both very good. May or may not be the "best" but you won't go wrong.


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## Guest (Nov 25, 2016)

Pugg said:


> I am a bit confused, by recently you really mean the last 30 years or let's say last decade?


Last 30 years would be sufficient. Last 10 years would be better.


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## Guest (Nov 25, 2016)

Mandryka said:


> I thought Daria Rabotkina's recording was exceptional. Other recordings I liked when I was exploring the music were
> 
> Leonard Shure (Epic)
> Michael Oelbaum
> ...


Thanks this was very helpful.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

I like Geza Anda's recording from the 1970s, though not all reviewers did. Since then the ones I've enjoyed most have been by Alfred Brendel (his earlier one on Turnabout) and Stephen Bishop, as he was still calling himself then.


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## Heliogabo (Dec 29, 2014)

Newer favorite? Igor Levit by far. He's stuning.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

My favorite for a few years has been Anderszewski.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

My favorite recording remains that of Stephen (Bishop) Kovacevich which dates from 1968. I will certainly need to give a listen to the more recent outings by Andreas Staier and Andras Schiff... both pianists whose work I follow quite a bit.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Jerome said:


> Thanks this was very helpful.


One I forgot to mention who I think bears repeated listening is Andrei Vieru.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Mandryka said:


> One I forgot to mention who I think bears repeated listening is Andrei Vieru.


Another one for us to explore then.


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## Guest (Nov 26, 2016)

Mandryka said:


> I thought Daria Rabotkina's recording was exceptional.


I bought it. 
Recent recording. Young female artist. Excellent performance. All of my preferences were met. 
Thanks for the recommendation.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Update: No performance of the Diabelli Variations I've heard matches the virtuosity and humor of the Vladimir Ashkenazy performance.


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## Heliogabo (Dec 29, 2014)

hpowders said:


> Update: No performance of the Diabelli Variations I've heard matches the virtuosity and humor of the Vladimir Ashkenazy performance.


Bought it recently. I'll give it a spin this weekend.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Heliogabo said:


> Bought it recently. I'll give it a spin this weekend.


Good. I will go into hiding in case you don't like it!! 

Although, I'm sure you will!!


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Animal the Drummer said:


> I like Geza Anda's recording from the 1970s, though not all reviewers did. Since then the ones I've enjoyed most have been by Alfred Brendel (his earlier one on Turnabout) and Stephen Bishop, as he was still calling himself then.


Anda is highly individual to say the least.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Anderszewski for a modern recording. 

Other recordings I have are

Richter
Serkin
Anda
Schnabel
Bishop Kovacevich 
Brendel is also superb


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## Holden4th (Jul 14, 2017)

Two favourite Diabellis are Serkin and Arrau which don't meet the OPs criteria. The other to stand out for me has already been mentioned, Kovacevich/Bishop. I thought his later recording on Onyx wasn't quite as good.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Be careful out there! Just checked Amazon and a one-disc version of Levit's Diabellis is about $19. The original three-disc set, with the Goldbergs and the Rzewski variations as well, is only three bucks more. The canny shopper will have little trouble deciding that one!


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## Fugue Meister (Jul 5, 2014)

Purely out of curiosity, why is your preference for a female pianist?


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## Portamento (Dec 8, 2016)

Piotr Anderszewski does a great job.


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## Heliogabo (Dec 29, 2014)

Here is a female pianist who delivers an outstanding version:










It was the first I've heard in fact, and I stil like it a lot.
It's coupled with a very fine goldbergs as well.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

KenOC said:


> Be careful out there! Just checked Amazon and a one-disc version of Levit's Diabellis is about $19. The original three-disc set, with the Goldbergs and the Rzewski variations as well, is only three bucks more. The canny shopper will have little trouble deciding that one!


Best advice I've read .:tiphat:


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

A note on the Diabellis: Listen to the last variation, after the big noisy fugue: Tempo di menuetto. This was something Beethoven loved to do: How many ideas for yet further variations are spooled out here? "Folks, you ain't heard nothin' yet. I'm just getting started!"

But it is not to be. We hear the closing cadence with regret.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

KenOC said:


> A note on the Diabellis: Listen to the last variation, after the big noisy fugue: Tempo di menuetto. This was something Beethoven loved to do: How many ideas for yet further variations are spooled out here? "Folks, you ain't heard nothin' yet. I'm just getting started!"
> 
> But it is not to be. We hear the closing cadence with regret.


Not sure about this as the variations were not written in order by Beethoven. Howver artistically it works.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Not sure what this means. The variations are clearly presented in the order specified (and rather carefully) by old Ludwig, who left little to chance. He did the same thing later in the variation movement of his Op. 131 string quartet -- presented, at the end, a "table of contents" of variations he could have written but didn't.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

It's true that they weren't written in order, I think he wrote them in two phases. But for the final version he paid a good deal of attention to proposing an order, it's interesting to think about what he was trying to achieve with the order,


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

That seems to be the case. Beethoven completed 23 variations in 1819, then laid the work aside, a rare thing for him. He returned to the work in 1823 and wrote the remaining variations. He kept the original 23 in order, but inserted (or added to the end) the new variations, which include some of the most important ones.

This is per Wiki -- I wasn't there!


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

KenOC said:


> That seems to be the case. Beethoven completed 23 variations in 1819, then laid the work aside, a rare thing for him. He returned to the work in 1823 and wrote the remaining variations. He kept the original 23 in order, but inserted (or added to the end) the new variations, which include some of the most important ones.
> 
> This is per Wiki -- I wasn't there!


It would be interesting to know whether he addd them at the end or inserted them in a more careful way. I've got it in my heard somehow that one of the first variations, the second or the third, is a late one, but I could be mistaken.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

The Wiki entry specifies exactly where the new variations went. However he did it, I'm sure he was quite careful!


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

KenOC said:


> The Wiki entry specifies exactly where the new variations went. However he did it, I'm sure he was quite careful!


I am sure that Beethoven knew axactly the position of each variation. Together they are one of the most extraordinary piano compositions. I remember many many years ago hearing Zbrendel play them at the Proms. I got his old Turnabout recording (superb) and it's been a favourite with me ever since


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

So what was he saying by putting that minuet at the end? After all those weird trilly variations. It just occurred to me that the final movement of the Eroica is also a dance.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

I think we must realise that the Diabelli is a huge musical joke. From Diabelli's 'cobblers' patch' to the satire on Mozart and other composers. It also gives an idea of what Lug the improviser must have been like.


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## Holden4th (Jul 14, 2017)

The first variation shows Beethoven's intentions very clearly. The parody of a march is also a parody of the original tune. In some hands it can sound quite grotesque and rightly so. Apparently, one of Beethoven's party tricks was to hear a tune and simply make up variations on the spot. I wonder how many of the Diabellis were done this way.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Holden4th said:


> The first variation shows Beethoven's intentions very clearly. The parody of a march is also a parody of the original tune. In some hands it can sound quite grotesque and rightly so. Apparently, one of Beethoven's party tricks was to hear a tune and simply make up variations on the spot. I wonder how many of the Diabellis were done this way.


Why does the first variation show beethovens intentions more clearly than the 4th?


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

DavidA said:


> I think we must realise that the Diabelli is a huge musical joke. From Diabelli's 'cobblers' patch' to the satire on Mozart and other composers. It also gives an idea of what Lug the improviser must have been like.


Hard to imagine some of the slower variations at the end as a joke!


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## Holden4th (Jul 14, 2017)

From what I can gather, Beethoven worked on the Diabellis on and off and reference is made to the work being divided into three sections stylistically. Maybe this indicates where he left off then took up again? I don't know. The slower variations at the end are certainly some of the best music LvB wrote for piano. The fugue is awesome.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Holden4th said:


> From what I can gather, Beethoven worked on the Diabellis on and off


I heard just two bursts of activity, but I've never researched this.



Holden4th said:


> reference is made to the work being divided into three sections stylistically.


That kind of seems right, without thinking about it too much.



Holden4th said:


> Maybe this indicates where he left off then took up again? I don't know.


Never heard this idea before.



Holden4th said:


> The slower variations at the end are certainly some of the best music LvB wrote for piano. The fugue is awesome.


Yes.

Your favourite, Arrau 2, has always defeated me, I'll give it another go soon.


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## Holden4th (Jul 14, 2017)

I like it because it sounds 'organic', the work seems to be put together as something that flows nicely from variation to variation. The irony of this is that it probably wasn't composed this way. What I like about Arrau (and Schnabel and Kovacevich) is the sense of reverence they achieve in those three slow variations 29, 30 and 31.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

In fact neither Schnabel nor Arrau 2 nor Kovacevich 1 have been favourites for me, for all their magic at the end. You've got to get to the end! I like Kovacevich 2 though.


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