Beethoven: The Complete Early Variations Alessandro Commellato

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827):
• 1 32 Variations in C Minor WoO 80 11:41
• 2 5 Variations on "Rule Britannia" in D Major, WoO 79 05:34
• 3 7 Variations on "God Save the King" in D Major, WoO 78 08:41
• 4 6 Variations in G Major, WoO 77 07:25
• 5 8 Variations on "Tändeln und Scherzen" in F Major, WoO 76 09:19
• 6 7 Variations on "Kind, willst du ruhig schlafen" in F Major, WoO 75 11:52
• 7 6 Variations for Piano four hands on "Ich denke dein"in D Major, WoO 74 05:05
• 8 10 Variation on "La stessa la stessissima" in B-Flat Major, WoO 73 12:26
• 9 8 Variations on "Un fievre brûlante" in C Major, WoO 72 07:10
• 10 12 Variations on a Russian Dance from Wranitsky's Ballet Das Waldmädchin A Major, WoO 71 12:19
• 11 6 Variations on "nel cor più non mi sento" in G Major, WoO 70 05:44
• 12 9 Variations on "quant'è più bello" in A Major, WoO 69 06:05
• 13 12 Variations on "Menuet à la Viganò" in C Major, WoO 68 14:41
• 14 8 Variations on a theme by Count Waldstein in C Major, WoO 67 08:56
• 15 13 Variations on "es war einmal ein alter Mann" in A Major, WoO 66 14:53
• 16 24 Variations on Righini's Air "Venni amore" in D Major WoO 65 23:27
• 17 6 Easy Variations on a Swiss air in F Major, WoO 64 02:55
• 18 9 Variations on a March by Dressler in C Minor, WoO 63 12:41
• Total Runtime 03:00:54

Info for Beethoven: The Complete Early Variations

An unrivalled compendium on disc of the Beethoven’s compositional laboratory, full of experiments that would be refined throughout his career to create the piano’s ‘New Testament’ of 32 sonatas.

Under the title of ‘early variations’, Alessandro Commellato has brought together all those theme with variation sets for solo and four hands piano that were not included in the main catalogue of Beethoven's compositions.

In fact not all of them are early: the imposing C minor 32 Variations WoO80 are the best-known work here, composed as late as 1806, and the sets on Rule Britannia and God save the King were written a year or two earlier, and perhaps not only for commercially expedient reasons, given Beethoven’s admiration for the British resistance to the proclamation of the French Empire.

More common, however, are the variation sets where Beethoven was establishing his voice and refining his technique by exercising his imagination on melodies from popular marches and operas by Grétry, Paisiello and Mozart. The composer used these works to curry favour with patrons such as Prince Lichnowsky; even on occasion as dedicatory gifts in order to make amends for his notoriously obstreperous behaviour, such as the variations on a Dittersdorf arietta, ‘Es war einmal’ (Once upon a time) which he gave in the summer of 1792 to Eleonore von Breuning, daughter of Maria Helena, who had welcomed the young wayward artist into her home.

Alessandro Commellato uses an 1823 fortepiano by Joseph Böhm, a Viennese piano-maker whose instruments were known to Beethoven, bestowing on this recording an unusual degree of authenticity. He is a specialist in historically informed performances of Viennese Classicism: previous discs for Brilliant Classics include music by Beethoven’s pupils such as the cello sonatas of Ferdinand Ries and piano concertos by Johann Nepomuk Hummel.

Alessandro Commellato, fortepiano
Elena Costa, fortepiano

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