*Variations on Là ci darem la mano

Variations on Là ci darem la mano/Variations on There we will give our hand

It’s very unfortunate that Chopin never seriously explored theme and variation form over his career, given that this opus – the one which famously made Schumann go “Hats off, gentlemen! A Genius!” – is a wonderful piece of work, and curiously unlike anything else Chopin wrote. Seriously – just listen to that introduction, with all that densely wafting filigree over a defiantly untethered bass. Nothing else Chopin wrote is even vaguely like it, except for some passages in a late work, the Berceuse Op.57, which nonetheless stands in contrast to this work in having an ultra-disciplined harmonic scheme. After the theme’s entrance, Var.1 rockets off with frankly Volodos-esque double counterpoint in the RH, and then Var.2 comes busily chattering along with its repeated notes. Var.3 is a burbling study in dealing with beautiful melodies (of very different kinds) in each hand, with the LH in particular sustaining a line of incredible dynamic detail and articulation. Var.4 is spiky and overtly virtuosic in a refreshingly Lisztian or Schumann-esque way. Var.5 might as well be a second introduction, or an intermezzo in the way some of Beethoven’s terse slow movements might be, and Var.6 finally brings us into familiar territory: the kind of effortless brilliance you can find in Chopin’s Piano Concerti and (especially) the Grande Polonaise Brillante Op.22. All in all, a nice demonstration of how work that’s quite obviously written to impress and bedazzle can be really great art.

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Trifonov’s performance is a total joy to listen to. The introduction sounds like a real improvisation, spun entirely from imagination and jam-packed with expressive detail. The usually straight-faced theme is taken with a lot of humour, as the little rhythmic hesitations and tugging accents show – it’s awfully hard now to smile at the playing. Var.1 and 2 are taken at precipitous tempi, and Var.3’s lush LH melody is handed to perfection, with the secco treatment it’s given in the repeat a real (and totally surprising) revelation. Var.5 is taken faster than you usually hear (listen to that super-crisp opening flourish), and has a programmatic kind of drama to it. The finale is hyper-virtuosic, uncompromising, tackled with frenetic swagger.

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Nebolsin, accompanied by Antoni Wit and the Warsaw Philharmonic, puts in a powerfully taut, detailed performance. The playing is less free and considerably more disciplined than Trifonov: the introduction, warm and generous as it is, also has a clearly introductory feel. Var.1 has a playful rather than extroverted character, with some superb voicing in the RH, and Var.2 is also beautifully articulated. Var.3 maintains its propulsiveness despite the intricate voicing, and Var.4 features some neat staccatissimo playing. Var.5 and the finale are handled with relish – not at Trifonov’s speed, but with more breath and festivity.

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Trifonov:

00:00 – Introduction: Largo

05:04 – Thema: Allegretto

06:39 – Var.1: Brillante

07:33 – Var.2: Veloce, ma accuratamente

08:30 – Var.3: Sempre sostenuto

10:16 – Var.4: Con bravura

11:27 – Var.5: Adagio

13:34 – Coda (Var.6): Alla polacca

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Nebolsin:

17:04 – Introduction: Largo

21:46 – Thema: Allegretto

23:12 – Var.1: Brillante

24:17 – Var.2: Veloce, ma accuratamente

25:19 – Var.3: Sempre sostenuto

26:41 – Var.4: Con bravura

28:01 – Var.5: Adagio

30:40 – Coda (Var.6): Alla polacca