Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, Wagner’s Spinning Song

The New Yorker: “Alongside Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations are one of the twin peaks of the classical keyboard repertory…In a performance on Friday night [July 24]…I saw the pianist Jeffrey Swann deliver a thrilling performance that emphasized the [Diabelli Variations]’s contrasting extremes — the comedy was uproarious, the silences were celestial, the speed was reckless, the intricacy was ecstatic. Many of the best concerts I’ve ever attended have featured non-celebrity musicians in modest venues, and Swann’s performance takes its place among them.” — Richard Brody