Release Date: 24 March 2023
Label: Avie
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 822252256925
Genres: Classical  Instrumental  
Release Date: 24 March 2023
Label: Avie
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 822252256925
Genres: Classical  Instrumental  
Description
Beethoven wrote in his diary that he wanted "to show the British what a treasure they have in God Save the King", a reference to his set of variations on the national anthem, composed in 1803. Sarah Beth Briggs recorded the virtuoso set precisely one month before the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and the recording heralds the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023.
The lesser-known Variations on an Original Theme in F major (1802) represent Beethoven the revolutionary. Uniquely, each variation was written in a different key which would have jarred the ears of the composer's contemporaries.
Sarah Beth Briggs' collection of Variations underlines a lineage of the genre through the classical and romantic eras. Opening the programme is 9 Variations on a Minuet by Duport by Mozart, whom Beethoven greatly admired. The work takes a theme by cellist Jean-Pierre Duport, chamber music director of the court of the Prussian King, Friedrich Wilhelm II, from whom the composer hoped to gain favour. Mendelssohn's Variations Serieuses was written as a tribute to Beethoven, and was included in an album of works that raised funds for the now famous bronze statue of Beethoven in Bonn. Mendelssohn's near contemporary Brahms paid tribute to his troubled friend Robert Schumann, using a melody from Bunte Blätter ("Colourful Leaves") in his poignant Variations on a Theme by Schumann.
"Briggs navigates especially skilfully the early-Romantic storms of Mendelssohn's Variations serieuses, giving them plenty of brilliance, lyricism and energy. Her playing is as attentive and detailed as her programming, convincingly creating a different atmosphere for each composer." - BBC Music Magazine
Tracklisting
Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen; John Churchwell
Danbi Um; Juho Pohjonen
Christopher Tyler Nickel, Sarah Jackson
Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford
Bruce Wolosoff
Charles Owen
Proteus Ensemble; Stephen Shellard
Benjamin Hochman
Sarah Beth Briggs, Royal Northern Sinfonia & Kenneth Woods
Sarah Beth Briggs
Sarah Beth Briggs