# Recordings of Beethoven's piano variations



## flamencosketches

Beethoven wrote a handful of sets of variations for piano. Some of these are widely considered among his greatest works. Unfortunately, I am all but completely unfamiliar with the vast majority of it. I heard the Diabelli Variations in full for the first time last night and was blown away. Just amazing. The recording I heard was Daniel Barenboim, who is not one of my favorites, but the music spoke for itself. 

What are some of your favorite recordings of the Diabelli and other variations, such as the Eroica Variations, the 32 Variations on an original theme in C minor, and whatever others are out there? I would really love to expand my familiarity with these works. I think Beethoven was very skillful with this form. 

Just for good measure, I'm going to also ask everyone out there to share favored recordings of Brahms' variations for piano. Handel, Schumann, Paganini etc. For the Paganini Variations I really like Evgeny Kissin on RCA.


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## Mandryka

I last explored the Diabelli Variations "seriously" in 2013, but at that time I listened to everything I could find. This was what I thought



> Top recordings
> 
> Leonard Shure (Epic)
> Michael Oelbaum
> Rosen
> Kuerti
> Sokolov
> Pollini (live preferably)
> Horszowski
> Daria Rabotkina
> Bernard Roberts
> S Richter (Prague)
> Nikolayeve 1979
> Brendel 2001
> Kovacevich (Onyx)
> Hans Petermandl
> 
> Need to revisit to get my head round
> 
> Vieru
> Arrau (2 recordings)
> Cooper
> Gulda (2 recordings)
> Ciani
> Katchen
> R Serkin (live and.studio)
> Pludermacher
> Rangell
> Sheppard
> John Browning
> 
> Fine but not special for me
> 
> Schiff
> Anderszewski
> Lefébure
> Frith
> Lewis
> Yudina
> Ugorski
> Mustonen
> 
> Don't much want to hear again
> 
> Schnabel
> Backhaus
> S Richter (1950s)
> Komen
> Afanassiev
> Kinderman
> Korstick
> Richter-Haaser
> Brendel 1977
> Leonard Shure (audiofon)
> 
> Haven't heard and want to hear
> 
> Nikolayeva 1981
> Koroliov
> Kovacevich (Philips)
> John Browning
> Amadeus Webersinke


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## DavidA

The best Diabelli

Kovacevich - the first recording
Schnabel - wrong notes and all
Serkin - very special
Richter - on Philips live
Anderszewski
Frith


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## Mandryka

flamencosketches said:


> What are some of your favorite recordings of the Diabelli and other variations, such as the Eroica Variations, the 32 Variations on an original theme in C minor, and whatever others are out there? I would really love to expand my familiarity with these works. I think Beethoven was very skillful with this form.


I like this very much


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## Mandryka

DavidA said:


> The best Diabelli
> 
> Anderszewski


I heard him play this in concert quite recently and I was extremely impressed.


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## Mandryka

Koroliov -- I forgot to mention that the one I've listened to since making the above list was Koroliov on a live CD.


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## Mandryka

One I'm curious about is this -- what sort of piano is he playing?

View attachment 126703


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## DarkAngel

Just recently released 6 disc Brautigam solo keyboard companion boxset to sonata boxset, does not use modern piano but instead replica keyboards of that period, these are still delightful performances some very hard to find......excellent modern sound


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## CnC Bartok

For a long time I had real issues with the Diabelli Variations, I really could not understand the fuss! I had a small handful of recordings, Roberts, Solchanyi, Kovacevic. None really did it for me. Then I heard Rudolf Serkin, and it all made more sense. Thanks, Rudi! Having said that, my favourite recording now is Claudio Arrau's later Philips recording, although I understand his 1950s version is generally held in higher esteem?

As to the Eroica Variations? No contest, Emil Gilels!


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## Mandryka

CnC Bartok said:


> although I understand his 1950s version is generally held in higher esteem?


Understand from whom? I find the sound in the earlier recording challenging.


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## Bigbang

flamencosketches said:


> Beethoven wrote a handful of sets of variations for piano. Some of these are widely considered among his greatest works. Unfortunately, I am all but completely unfamiliar with the vast majority of it. I heard the Diabelli Variations in full for the first time last night and was blown away. Just amazing. The recording I heard was Daniel Barenboim, who is not one of my favorites, but the music spoke for itself.
> 
> What are some of your favorite recordings of the Diabelli and other variations, such as the Eroica Variations, the 32 Variations on an original theme in C minor, and whatever others are out there? I would really love to expand my familiarity with these works. I think Beethoven was very skillful with this form.
> 
> Just for good measure, I'm going to also ask everyone out there to share favored recordings of Brahms' variations for piano. Handel, Schumann, Paganini etc. For the Paganini Variations I really like Evgeny Kissin on RCA.


I am curious--I have Barenboim on two labels...Erato and one from the early days on MCA label--which one did you listen to?


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## flamencosketches

Bigbang said:


> I am curious--I have Barenboim on two labels...Erato and one from the early days on MCA label--which one did you listen to?


Erato. Found it cheaply at a used record store a couple months ago.


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## wkasimer

CnC Bartok said:


> As to the Eroica Variations? No contest, Emil Gilels!


Have you heard Gelber?:


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## Guest

I really enjoy Staier's recording of the Diabelli Variations on the fortepiano, on Harmonia Mundi. As you might know, the work was commissioned, and several composers sent in a variation - Beethoven chose to compose an entire set of variations. This recording also contains samples of other variations submitted by other composers.


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## Josquin13

Beethoven's Variations--my overview:

I. Diabelli Variations:

The Diabelli Variations is a work that I closely associate with pianist Alfred Brendel, who recorded it four times during his career. Brendel's final 2001 live performance is arguably his best, and he thought so, too, naming it his "favorite" of the four. It's an exceptional performance: https://www.amazon.com/Alfred-Brend...nces+2001&qid=1573986886&s=music&sr=8-1-fkmr0. I've also liked Brendel's 1977 live concert performance, released by Philips: https://www.amazon.com/Alfred-Brend...VGVZRXBZFKV&psc=1&refRID=SWE65CZS3VGVZRXBZFKV. His 1988 studio account for Philips gets excellent reviews, too:








https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Diabelli-Variation-Ludwig-van/dp/B00000412C. The least of Brendel's four recordings is probably his first one for Vox/Turnabout, though over the years I've heard some collectors say they prefer Brendel's Vox/Turnabout Beethoven to his later Beethoven for Philips: 



.

Stephen Bishop Kovacevich's 1968 Philips recording is likewise excellent: 



. I don't always find Kovacevich mercurial enough in Beethoven, but his 1968 Diabelli Variations is an exception. The later Onyx recording isn't as good, IMO, but others may disagree. (By the way, Kovacevich's early Philips recordings of the Bagatelles are also first rate, as are Brendel's on Philips: https://www.amazon.com/Bagatelles-1...RSJ9MJYEZ90&psc=1&refRID=3RKECET2CRSJ9MJYEZ90, and Valery Afanassiev's on Denon: 



. Sviatoslav Richter & Rudolf Serkin also played selected Bagatelles.)

Otherwise, there are a number of 'classic' Diabelli Variations recordings from Sviatoslav Richter--(1) live in Venice in 1970 (on Music & Arts, but not in the best sound), and (2) live in Prague in 1986 (in better sound, on the Praga label--both CD & hybrid SACD), and Rudolf Serkin--(1) recorded live at the Prades Festival in 1954, (2) recorded in Vermont in 1957 (& released by Columbia Records in 1958), and (3) a live performance in London in 1969, which was a BBC broadcast (see links below). At their best, Serkin & Richter are two of the greatest Beethoven pianists I've heard in my life, and they would be my top recommendations for the Diabelli Variations (along with Brendel); at least, if you can figure out which recordings you most like by them. By the way, Richter also recorded a Diabellis live at the Concertgebouw in the 1986, for Philips--a performance that I find more sedate than the other two: https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Diabelli-Variations-Ludwig-van/dp/B00000E3VQ. Plus, there's a 1951 Moscow recording (released by Parnassus, Profil, & Yedang), as well as live performances in Tours in 1970 (St-Laurent Studio), Bolzano in 1986 (St-Laurent Studio), Gyor in 1986 (St-Laurent Studio), Copenhagen in 1986 (St-Laurent Studio), and Tivoli in 1986 (Doremi & St-Laurent Studio), which I've not heard.

Serkin's recordings, listed in order of preference:

--Serkin, live in London, 1969: 



http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_cd_review.php?id=4667
--Serkin, recorded in Marlboro, Vermont, in 1957 for Columbia Records, & released in 1958: 
https://www.prestomusic.com/classic...e-appassionata-les-indispensables-de-diapason
https://www.prestomusic.com/classic...-plays-beethoven-concertos-sonatas-variations
https://www.amazon.com/Diabelli-Var...84N2EP0ZMHV&psc=1&refRID=DK4NFDKTT84N2EP0ZMHV
--Serkin, live at the Prades Festival, 1954: 



https://www.amazon.com/Rudolf-Serki...DKH7JD10TSP&psc=1&refRID=8CAQB5MCFDKH7JD10TSP

Richter, Prague, 1986: 



https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pi...Q0AFCXA2VAZ&psc=1&refRID=AVY4PXG1EQ0AFCXA2VAZ
https://www.amazon.com/Sviatoslav-Richter-Prague-Beethoven-Variations/dp/B01KATELTG

In addition, there's a classic 1961 recording from Russian pianist, Maria Yudina, which was released on Philips' "Great Pianists" series (coupled with her Goldberg Variations):




https://www.amazon.com/Maria-Yudina...+great+pianists&qid=1574044542&s=music&sr=1-1

Unfortunately, one of my favorite Beethoven pianists, Emil Gilels, didn't record the Diabelli Variations; though he did plan to record them for DG before his untimely death in the 1985 (as part of his DG Beethoven Piano Sonata cycle). So maybe one day a concert performance will surface...? There are no Diabelli Variations either--to my knowledge--from the following great Beethoven pianists: Edwin Fischer, Bruno Leonardo Gelber, Annie Fischer, Youra Guller, Solomon, Wilhelm Kempff, & Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. Among those I don't know, I've not heard the recordings by Claudio Arrau, Artur Schnabel, Tatiana Nikolayeva, Mieczyslaw Horszowski, and Wilhelm Backhaus.

On a period piano, Andras Staier is very good in the Diabellis, and might be a 1st choice among period performances, though I've not heard Ronald Brautigam's recent recording: https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Di...+Diabelli&qid=1574044651&s=music&sr=1-2-fkmr1.

I'd also give a strong recommendation to scholar/pianist William Kinderman's highly regarded book on the Diabelli Variations, & his recording, too. No less than Alfred Brendel had this to say about Kinderman's book: "William Kinderman is a very rare bird. His book on Beethoven's Diabelli Variations must be one of the best monographs a musical masterpiece has ever received."

https://www.amazon.com/Beethovens-D...Z6N3FTYRPF5&psc=1&refRID=K2A5EF2XCZ6N3FTYRPF5
https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Di...thoven+diabelli&qid=1573987370&s=music&sr=1-1

Among other digital era recordings, Anatol Ugorski's DG recording is excellent, & has superb sound engineering. Here's a film of Ugorski playing the Diabelli's live in concert in 1995: 




Lastly, Piotr Anderszewski has received glowing reviews from the British critics for his Diabelli Variations on Virgin, and was given a monthly plaudit by Gramophone Magazine in August, 2001; however, as fine as Anderszewski's performance is, it wouldn't figure in my own top 5 picks: 




II. 15 Piano Variations and Fugue in E flat, Op. 35 - "Eroica Variations":

One of my favorite Eroica Variations is a live concert performance given by Emil Gilels in December, 1980, which was released by the Hänssler label (I sometimes prefer Gilels' live recordings to his studio recordings): https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8029407--emil-gilels-plays-beethoven

Though Gilels' DG studio account is absolutely first rate, too: 




https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Er...eethoven+eroica&qid=1574044228&s=music&sr=1-4. I've not heard Gilels' Olympia recording: https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pi...+eroica&qid=1574044228&s=music&sr=1-1-catcorr

There's also a 'classic' studio recording of the Eroica Variations by Sviatoslav Richter, which was made in Salzburg in 1970. It has been released on CD by multiple labels--Eurodisc, Regis, Alto, Olympia, JVC, Sony, and Victor Japan labels, and on LP by Le Chant de Monde and Melodiya, and is included in the Richter "Eurodisc Recordings" CD box set:

Richter, Eroica Variations, Salzburg, 1970:













In addition, there's a live 1968 performance that Richter recorded in London for the BBC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj2ckku8cTc; which I don't like as much, and a remarkable live concert performance in Venice in 1970, released on the Music & Arts label, which unfortunately doesn't have the best sound (the entire CD is devoted to Richter's Beethoven Variations):

Hence, Gilels live 1980 & DG studio, and Richter studio 1970 are my top choices for this work (although I don't know Claudio Arrau's 1968 recording for Philips, nor his 1941, 1952, & 1977 recordings, either).

But there's also an exceptional 1984 Orfeo digital recording of the Eroica Variations by Bruno Leonardo Gelber that is worth hearing, too (on YT), as Gelber is an extremely underrated Beethoven pianist, in my view.

Gelber, Eroica Variations: 




Historically, there is again a 1961 recording from the great Russian pianist, Maria Yudina: 




Lastly, Alfred Brendel has recorded the Eroica Variations for Philips, as well, but I've not heard that recording myself: https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Er...oica+variations&qid=1574043580&s=music&sr=1-1

III. 32 Variations in C minor on an original theme, WoO80:

The following are my top recordings for Beethoven's 32 Variations in C minor on an Original Theme, listed in order of preference:

--Emil Gilels: Gilels recorded the 32 Variations in 1968 for EMI along with his Beethoven Piano Concertos 1-5 set, with George Szell & the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra: 



. At that time, Gilels also recorded the 12 Variations on a Russian Dance, WoO71, and the 6 Variations in D on a Turkish March from "Die Ruinen von Athen" Op. 76 (IMO, only Richter plays the Op. 76 "Turkish March" as well as Gilels): 



. (Fortunately, Szell's rather stiff conducting couldn't diminish Gilels' solo recordings of the Variations, as it did his Beethoven PC set--as the piano concertos weren't one of Szell's better outings as a conductor, IMO.)

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7988879--emil-gilels-complete-emi-recordings.

--Claudio Arrau was likewise excellent in the 32 Variations: which he recorded for GB Columbia in 1960 (additionally released by Harmonia Mundi): 



, and again for Philips in 1968 (which originally came coupled with Beethoven's 6 Variations in F Major on LP): https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pi...iations&qid=1574209366&s=music&sr=1-1-catcorr, and again for a third time during the digital era, in 1985, on Philips: https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Pi...n+32+variations&qid=1574209366&s=music&sr=1-1

Gilels 1968 and Arrau 1960 & 1977 are my top recommendations for the 32 Variations.

In addition, you might want to check out the excellent recordings by Radu Lupu and Ivan Moravec, as well:

Lupu: 



Moravec: 




Sviatoslav Richter didn't record the 32 Variations in C minor, but, as noted, he did record other Beethoven Variations:

--Six Variations on an original Theme for Piano in F Major, Op. 34, Salzburg, 1970: 
Part 1: 



Part 2: 



--Six Variations, Op. 76, Venice, 1970, released by Music & Arts: 



--Six Variations, Op. 76, released by Mezhdunarodnaya kniga/Olympia/Eurodisc: 




Finally, from the digital era, I've liked pianist Gian Luca Cascioli's DG recordings of a number of Beethoven Variations: https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8080941--beethoven-variations. In his survey, Cascioli included the Fantasie, Op. 77, which doesn't get recorded all that often, and a rarity, Anton Rubinstein's piano transcription of the "Turkish March" from Beethoven's incidental music to a play by August von Kotzebue called, "The Ruins of Athens", Op. 113 (upon which Beethoven's orchestral overture derives, as well).

Cascioli: 32 Variations in C minor on an original Theme: 



Cascioli: The Ruins of Athens, Op. 113, arranged for piano by Anton Rubinstein: 



Cascioli: 6 Bagatelles, Op. 126: 



Cascioli: Fantasie, Op. 77: 




While I find the young Cascioli's playing exceptional, I don't see him as quite the match for Rudolf Serkin's 'classic' 1962 account of the Fantasie, Op. 77, recorded for Columbia records (now Sony): 



.

(I'll respond to your Brahms question in another post...)


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## Mandryka

Prompted by this thread I've just made a fabulous new discovery, Cecile Ousset's Beethoven, originally here









and now here


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## Josquin13

The Decca set looks very interesting. She plays a bunch of the more obscure Beethoven Variations, too: such as his 9 Variations on a March by Dressler, WoO 63 (which is a substantial work at 12+ minutes): 



 and his 9 Variations on 'Quant'e piu bello', WoO 69: 



, along with the Diabelli & Eroica Variations, etc.. Her Beethoven Variations are a great find, Mandryka. Thanks.

For me, Ousset is an excellent, intelligent musician, but she plays with an unusually strong temperament, & that can sometimes lead her to adopt a more forceful piano touch than I normally like. Not surprisingly, I've liked her best in Rachmaninov, for example. However, I've not heard her earlier Decca recordings, and on first impression, her piano touch doesn't sound quite as heavy in the Beethoven Variations: which it shouldn't be, considering that Beethoven, like Mozart, obviously cared about the delicacy and sensitivity of his piano touch. Her early Debussy Etudes sound interesting, too, though they are heavier & more strongly characterized: which may not be a bad thing in this late Debussy music.

As you must know by now, I don't overly care for pianists that pound the keys. Rather, I see it as an unfortunate development that extends from the late Romantic age and the big virtuosos of the 20th century, & believe that it has very little to do with the composers of the classical & early Romantic eras, such as Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Chopin, & Liszt, even though it often gets mistakenly associated with their solo piano music (especially Liszt, but, of course, not so much Mozart...).

P.S. I've never heard Ousett play live, so it could also be that EMI miked her piano too closely, and that there's more of a distance in her earlier French Decca recordings.


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## premont

As to the piano variations (and incidentally anything else) Buchbinder and Tirimo claim to be complete. I have not investigated this in detail, because my interest in LvB's "lesser" variations is moderate.

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/de...70-1827-S%E4mtliche-Klavierwerke/hnum/2871798

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/beethoven-complete-piano-works/hnum/9425917

Brendel also recorded many of the variations in the old Vox days.


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## starthrower

The only recording I have so I'm giving it a listen.


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## KenOC

starthrower said:


> The only recording I have so I'm giving it a listen.


Gould's C Minor Variations and Eroica Variations are both very good - and I'm generally no fan of his Beethoven.

I recently got to know Anderszewski's Diabelli Variations and found them interesting. His performance takes more than an hour - he's not always slow but when he is, he's *slow*. His general approach from variation to variation is often a bit bizarre, sometimes convincing and sometimes simply self-indulgent. Anyway, I seldom return to his rather unusual rendition.


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## starthrower

I enjoyed the Gould. I know he rubs listeners the wrong way with the sonatas. He does some weird phrasings. I gave up on the Diabelli's by Anderszewski after a while. Great recording but I'm not crazy about that music. Too much pounding.


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## KenOC

starthrower said:


> I enjoyed the Gould. I know he rubs listeners the wrong way with the sonatas. He does some weird phrasings. I gave up on the Diabelli's by Anderszewski after a while. Great recording but I'm not crazy about that music. Too much pounding.


I just listened to Anderszewski's Diabellis again, in their entirety. I feel a bit better disposed to it now. Yes, there is certainly a bit of pounding, especially in that last fugue! As von Bulow writes of an earlier variation, "This Variation...must be hammered out with well-nigh raging impetuosity... More delicate shading would not be in place."

The excessive noise is part of the joke, of course, but you might want to keep the aspirin handy.


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## starthrower

Somebody recommended Serkin so I listened to the samples from the Sony box. The sound is horrible. Seems I remember an exciting live recording of his. Anyway, I just ordered the Kovacevich Warner box. I couldn't pass it up for 16 and change. The sound is a bit dated but I like the way he plays everything I sampled. I checked out some of Igor Levit's new set which sounds very good, but it's too expensive at the present time. Also bought the Monteux Beethoven symphony set for the same price.


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## Josquin13

Starthrower writes, "Somebody recommended Serkin so I listened to the samples from the Sony box. The sound is horrible."

That depends on which Serkin Diabelli Variations recording you listened to. If it was the live 1954 Prades Festival recording, I tend to agree with you, but I wouldn't go as far as to call it "horrible" sound: 



. However, if it was Serkin's 2nd Diabelli recording--the 1957 Marlboro, Vermont recording, I don't think the sound is too bad for its age. Here's the remaster that I have and I think it's a decent recording (at least the sound didn't prevent me from enjoying his playing): 



. Best of all, sound-wise, is Serkin's 3rd live 1969 recording, which was a BBC radio broadcast: 



.

Considering that Serkin had more to say in this music than most other pianists, IMO, it would be a pity to rule him out on account of poor sound quality, especially since there are alternative recordings by him.


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## starthrower

I'm not that crazy about the music so far but I haven't listened to the entire piece. I'm more fond of the 32 variations on the c minor theme. But I'd be willing to try Serkin on some different recordings.


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## KenOC

starthrower said:


> I'm not that crazy about the music so far but I haven't listened to the entire piece. I'm more fond of the 32 variations on the c minor theme. But I'd be willing to try Serkin on some different recordings.


Beethoven never gave the C-minor variations an opus number and seemed to dislike the work. It was reported that in later years he heard the variations being performed in somebody's home as he walked by in the street (a "good hearing" day evidently). Somebody brought it to his attention and he said, "I wrote that? Oh, Beethoven, what an *** you were!"


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