Beethoven: Complete Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 14 – Variations & Klavierstücke
1/1/2017, 33 Tracks, 1:03:00
Featuring
Ronald Brautigam
Ludwig van Beethoven
Did you know?
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Critical Reception
Beethoven reportedly called his popular Thirty-Two Variations in C minor "rubbish" in later life, remarking he had been "an ass" when younger.
Composer Biography
Beethoven composed the Op. 34 Variations during the summer of 1802, arguably the most tragic months of his life, when he realized his hearing loss was irreversible.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Beethoven, despite often being portrayed as a left-wing revolutionary, believed in the segregation of classes and only truly supported the ideal of freedom from the French Revolution, and even that within limits.
Composer Biography
Beethoven's first published work was a set of variations, released in 1783 when he was only twelve years old.
Performer Biography
Ronald Brautigam, the performer on this album, was awarded the Nederlandse Muziekprijs in 1984, the highest Dutch musical award.
Composition History
Beethoven's Op. 34 Variations were a conscious effort to move away from the decorative style of traditional variation form.
Instruments
The fortepiano used for this recording is a modern replica, made in 2007 by Paul McNulty, based on a Conrad Graf instrument from around 1819.
