One of the Festival’s traditions is to present J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations at every edition. Exceptionally, this year, you will have the pleasure of hearing Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. Played by Ukrainian pianist and Montrealer by adoption Serhiy Salov, these variations are, like Bach’s, veritable summits of musical writing. The great pianist Alfred Brendel commented: “The Diabelli Variations are a supreme achievement, uniting past, present and future, humor, virtuosity and the sublime.” What more is there to say?
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
Grande Fugue en si bémol majeur, op. 133 (arrangé pour piano solo par Serhiy Salov)
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)
Passacaille & Fugue en do mineur, BWV 582 (arrangé pour piano solo par Serhiy Salov)
3 Préludes Chorales
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
The 33 Variations on a theme by Diabelli, Op. 120
Serhiy Salov, piano