This recording was made in the Beethoven-Haus auditorium in Bonn, Germany, just next to Beethoven's birthplace, in celebration of his 250th anniversary.
Composition History
Beethoven initially turned down Diabelli's request to compose a variation, finding the waltz uninteresting and having other major projects underway.
Compositional Technique
Beethoven's original German title for the work, '33 Veränderungen über einen Walzer von Anton Diabelli', translates more accurately to '33 transformations' rather than '33 variations'.
Composition History
Anton Diabelli, a composer and music publisher, initially asked 50 famous musicians of Austria, including Franz Schubert and Franz Liszt, to compose a single variation on a theme he had composed.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The Diabelli Variations allowed Beethoven to experiment in pure ideation, similar to improvisation, but on paper, as he had not performed in public for nearly a decade by their publication.
Performer Biography
George Lepauw, the Franco-American pianist on this album, has studied with notable musicians including Aïda Barenboim, Brigitte Engerer, and Earl Wild, and was mentored by Carlo-Maria Giulini and Kurt Masur.
Recording & Production
The Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, where this album was recorded, owns the original sketches and final manuscript of the Diabelli Variations in Beethoven's own hand.
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