LVB 32

No, not that 32!

All of us piano fans know LVB’s 32 as his great sonata cycle.

What I want to make sure you don’t miss is his 32 Variations in C minor, on an Original Theme. The work is opus WoO 80.

I own many sonata cycles and listen to them regularly. Kempff is my favorite player but the recordings were in the 60s. The sound is pleasant but there’s tape hiss to listen through. You’ll enjoy a more modern recording by Lewis, Kovacevich or Goode.

I’m not necessarily a fan of “variations.” They CAN tend to sound like exercises instead of music. A lot of piano fans point to LVB’s Diabelli Variations as THE master work of the instrument. While I can appreciate what it is, a scholarly masterpiece, it’s not something I need to hear very often.

There are piano variations that ARE great music that I DO want to hear frequently.

*Brahms variations on a theme by Schumann

*Brahms variations on a theme by Paganini

*Brahms variations on a theme by Handel

*Rachmaninoff variations on a theme by Corelli

*Rachmaninoff variations on a theme by Chopin

LVB was such a brilliant composer, and player when he was young, that these 32 are written around his own theme. They’re only about 11 minutes long.

If you love the classical piano as I do, I encourage you to pull out your iPad and through Tidal, listen to Radu Lupu. It was recorded in 1971 with an analog master and still sounds very good. If you don’t know this work, you’ll be amazed by it. If you do know this work, you’ll love how Lupu plays it.

We are so fortunate that LVB actually wrote this down and made it part of his library. LVB (1770-1827) didn’t have access to tape recorders! He was famous for his voracious improvisations. Here’s one that DIDN’T get away.