Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Diabelli Variations (Dig)

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So, last year I was dragged down to the La Jolla Playhouse at UCSD to see the west coast premiere of 33 Variations, starring Jayne Atkinson, Zach Grenier, and Laura Odeh. The play is written by Moises Kaufman (who also did Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde and The Laramie Project) and was wonderful; in fact, I'm hoping to get to see it again on Broadway, starring Jane Fonda, Samantha Mathis and Colin Hanks. Anyhow, I noticed in their little store two CDs of the music: one by the lady who accompanied the play and another featuring William Kinderman. Some time later, I did a little research and learned that William Kinderman was the inspiration behind the play; Kaufman relied on Kinderman to get the musical aspects of the play right. It turns out Kinderman knows the Diabelli Variations intimately, having written the definitive book on the subject (gotta love Amazon!). And this version of the Diabelli Variations is amazing: if you're a classical music fan looking for a deeper understanding of them, be sure to listen to the 2nd disc with Kinderman's highly informative lecture about the music and its history. All-in-all, a great find and a fantastic way to remember Kaufman's play, 33 Variations.

This lavish edition of scholar William Kinderman's "The Diabelli Variations" features two CDs - a performance of The Diabelli Variations and a lecture about them - packaged in a beautiful sleeve with liner notes from Kinderman, playwright Moisés Kaufman, and curator Geoffrey Merritt. It's stunning package worthy of your attention!

"Really in a class of its own, remarkably fresh and well thought out ... The most outstanding Diabelli Variations to have appeared for ages" - The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs

"A formidable pianist ... Kinderman's exemplary clarity allows us to hear every detail of the amazing score and to marvel afresh at its beauty and sheer ingenuity" - The Sunday Times

"Pianistically and interpretatively engaging, Kinderman's Diabelli Variations is certainly one of the most original and compelling to date" - Journal of The Beethoven Society of Europe

"Not to be missed" - The Times

William Kinderman is the guiding force behind Moises Kaufman's (Laramie Project, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde) latest play, 33 Variations, that played out here at the La Jolla Playhouse (at UCSD) last spring and is now on Broadway starring Jane Fonda, Samantha Mathis, and Colin Hanks. Kaufman has worked closely with Kinderman for years researching the musical dimension of the play. Kinderman plays the Diabelli Variations--he knows every nook and cranny of this piece (and source for most of the citations in the Wikipedia entry on it) and how it all came together in the first place--and he can really play. If you don't know the piece that well, do yourself a favor and listen to the second disc, an informative and accessible lecture about the history of the piece and some of the finer musical details. This is a great package and a wonderful memento after seeing Kaufman's fabulously-inspired play 33 Variations.