I chose Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations – more “transformations” than variations – simply because I couldn’t do otherwise. They are essential to me – vital. After playing his 32 Sonatas, it seemed both essential and natural to take on a new challenge with him, to embark on another great journey in his company; one might say, another “initiation.” This monumental Op. 120 brings together many of the difficulties I experienced with the sonatas, but its language has become increasingly familiar over the years. I not only wanted to interpret Beethoven’s Diabelli to experience, once again, a cathartic encounter through the pinnacle of his art, but also because I love them more than anything else!
