Variations for Piano
The average listener will never have heard most of the music on these discs, sets of variations Beethoven composed in his piano-playing days for casual use. All but one lack opus numbers, which means Beethoven didn't take them very seriously. There are no hidden masterpieces here, at least not in Ogdon's nine selections. But the music has charm and grace, and gives dedicated Beethoven-lovers a chance to experience the composer at his most informal. Ogdon, a great fire-breathing virtuoso during his brief prime, plays this music with modesty and subtlety, never inflating the music beyond its boundaries. These previously-rare recordings (if they were ever issued at all) expand our understanding of a great, tragic pianist, brought down at the height of his career by mental illness. The Gilels performances, of somewhat better-known music, are rescued from their original use as fillers on concerto LPs. Gilels plays the almost famous 32 Variations in C Minor with wonderful drama, and captures the humor in the "Turkish March" Variations. With EMI's excellently remastered sound and super-bargain price, this set is well worth acquiring for anyone interested in the music.--Leslie Gerber