Presto Classical, Recording of the Week, 19th June 2026
Cédric Tiberghien (piano)
Ligeti: Musica Ricercata
Beethoven: 6 Variations in F major on a Swiss Song, WoO 64
Kurtág: Játékok, Book I (Selections)
Beethoven: 8 Variations on the Romance "Une fièvre brûlante", WoO 72
Beethoven: 12 Variations on a Russian Dance, WoO 71
Beethoven: 10 Variations in B-flat major on "La stessa, la stessissima", WoO 73
Kurtág: Játékok, Book V (Selections)
Beethoven: 13 Variations on the Arietta "Es war ein alter Mann", WoO 66
Kurtág: Játékok, Book VII (Selections)
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations, Op. 120
With this ambitious third volume, pianist Cédric Tiberghien brings his acclaimed Variation[s] series to a triumphant close, mapping out a vast, multi-century exploration of the piano variation form and its modern transformations.
The double album centers around the absolute summit of Beethoven’s piano writing: the monolithic Diabelli Variations, Op. 120. Tiberghien approaches this monumental technical and intellectual challenge fearlessly, infusing the opening theme with a bold swagger that sets the stage for an interpretation brimming with color, vitality, and intellectual cohesion.
What makes this survey uniquely stimulating is its creative juxtaposition with modern avatars. Tiberghien weaves in György Ligeti’s experimentally daring Musica ricercata, navigating both its rigid mathematical structural logic and its witty parodies of historical styles. These are paired with the delicate, microstructural poetic fragments of György Kurtág’s Játékok (Games). Interspersed among these modern cornerstones are several of Beethoven's earlier, lighter variation sets based on popular theatrical tunes of his day, creating a multi-layered listening experience that bridges historical traditions.
"Tiberghien's commitment to thoroughly exploring this structural element is unwavering, yet so is his beguiling way with Ligeti's parody of composers from the past... Cédric Tiberghien faces one of the biggest challenges of the solo piano repertoire fearlessly. He brings a swagger to the theme, promising that this is going to be anything but a wallflower interpretation." — Matthew Ash, Presto Classical, 19th June 2026
