A simple C major waltz composed by Viennese music publisher Anton Diabelli, who invited 50 prominent composers (including Schubert, Liszt, and Czerny) to contribute a single variation each for a collaborative patriotic publication.
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33 Variations on a Waltz by Anton Diabelli, Op. 120
Initially dismissing the waltz as a trivial 'cobbler's patch,' Beethoven rejected the anthology format and spent four years composing an astonishing cycle of 33 monumental variations, permanently transforming the nature of variation form alongside Bach's Goldberg Variations.
A monumental deconstruction of a lightweight popular waltz, distilling its underlying harmonic and rhythmic cells into 33 diverse musical worlds.