This album features four different historical fortepianos, including instruments by J. Böhm (1823), A. Walter (1789, 1792), and Walter & Sohn (1805), as well as a J.A. Stein (1788).
Composer Biography
Beethoven was critical of the primitive state of pianoforte playing in 1796, hoping for a future where the instrument could truly 'sing' and be distinct from the harp.
Composition History
Some of Beethoven's variations on this album, such as the 'political' variations on 'God save the King' and 'Rule Britannia', were written in 1804 in admiration of British resistance to the French Empire.
Interpretation
Alessandro Commellato, the fortepiano performer, chose specific instruments to inspire his interpretation, such as the delicate Stein for a baroque and 'inegale' phrasing.
Compositional Technique
The 32 Variations in C minor WoO80 derive from the ancient form of variations on a ground bass, similar to a passacaglia or chaconne, but with a harmonic structure replacing the ground bass.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Beethoven, in his early years, aimed to surpass other virtuoso pianists in Vienna and seduce salon audiences with his extemporaneous and sometimes 'crazy' variations.
Instruments
The Walter and Stein fortepianos used in this recording are modern copies made by Guido Bizzi.
