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Diabelli Variations
Variazioni su un valzer di Diabelli n.1 > n.33 op
Bagatella op 119 n.1 > n.11 (1820 22)
Bagatella op 126 n.1 > n.6 (1823 24)
Rondo a capriccio op 129 (1795) in SOL
Andante favori WoO 57 op 170 in FA (1803)
Even Alfred Brendel may not approve of the Beethoven performances heard on these discs. Brendel is several decades older and wiser now, and may well find these products of his relative youth as callow as I do. The magnificent Diabelli Variations, one of Beethoven's greatest compositions, is trivialized by this undercharacterized playing, which lets so many important moments go by without saying anything special about them. It's worth the extra money to spring for a great performance of this music, like Richter on Praga PR 254 023 or Oelbaum on Bridge BCD 9010. The smaller pieces also sound bland. Even at a low price this set is no great bargain. --Leslie Gerber