Revisiting Beethoven’s 32 Variations

II. 32 Variations on an Original Theme in C-minor, WoO 80 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770—1827).mp4

I first wrote about the Beethoven 32 Variations in my blog on March 5, 2025, and at that point I was just studying them.

Having performed them at my concert in Tokyo last month, I had a chance to consider them even more, and work out each one of them in such a way that I demonstrated not only how one variation was different from all the others, but also how each of them were similar.

In order to do this, I focused more on the technique required to play each of them. Some of them have more legato, others more staccato.  Sometimes the left hand is busier than the right, other times the right busier than the left.  The only thing that is constant in all of them is how they change from one variation to the next.  Rhythm, tempo, chord structure, and just about all elements of piano contribute to making each variation stand out on its own.

Please feel free to leave me your ideas about the work in the Comments section. Thanks so much.

Tap an icon below to share this blog on social media, email, or your favorite messaging app.