Beethoven: Variations

Featuring

Sélim Mazari
Ludwig van Beethoven

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Beethoven increasingly approached his variation works from an experimental angle, deriving a whole universe from an often banal theme.

Composer Biography

Beethoven, a born improviser, initially published pieces he performed in concert without assigning them opus numbers or much importance.

Composition History

The 'Eroica' Variations are misnamed; they predate the 'Eroica' Symphony and take their theme from the finale of Beethoven's ballet 'The Creatures of Prometheus'.

Cultural Impact

The Thirty-two Variations in C minor influenced Brahms's Fourth Symphony and featured compositional principles like Klangfarbenmelodie and subtle fade-in/fade-out effects later used by Arnold Schoenberg.

Critical Reception

Beethoven himself held his Thirty-two Variations in C minor in low esteem, reportedly calling himself an 'ass' for composing them.

Composition History

The Twelve Variations in A major on a theme by Paul Wranitzky, a leader at the Vienna Court Opera, were dedicated to Countess Anna Margarete von Browne-Camus, a patron of Beethoven.

Compositional Technique

The Thirty-two Variations in C minor derive a dense harmonic framework from an eight-bar chaconne, with all variations (except the last) being eight bars long and played without interruption.