Featuring: Cédric Tiberghien. ‘We present here to the world Varations of no ordinary type, but a great and important masterpiece worthy to be ranked with the imperishable creations of the old Classics, more interesting from the fact that it is elicited from a theme which no one would otherwise have supposed capable of a working-out of that character. All these variations will entitle the work to a place beside Sebastian Bach’s masterpiece in the same form.’

In this way did Diabelli publicise his publication of Beethoven’s remarkable set, showing his uncanny ability to create great art out of next to nothing. Beethoven worked on these Variations before and after creating his Missa Solemnis. When he finished them he moved on to composing the Ninth Symphony, so the Variations were born in a time of high seriousness and particularly long works. As Diabelli points out the only comparable set of Variations in the canon is Bach’s Goldberg.