One may be puzzled initially to see , (twice), and on a program in a cycle devoted to the complete variation sets of , but this is a typically ambitious idea from pianist and the music of the other composers mostly has connections to . 's , are underrated indeed, weaving quotations from several other symphonies into its basic material from the slow movement of the . Perhaps the , are the odd piece out here; it is debatable whether they are variations at all, but in a way, the pieces by the other composers strengthen 's main thesis, which is that 's variations are fully serious works that shouldn't be underestimated. His cycle opens with the , called the because they use a theme that recurred in the finale of gives these a big, sweeping performance that suggests the work's prominence in 's output. Yet even the smaller sets, based on simple operatic arias of the day, have some weight in 's performances, which indicate ways in which worked out problems of register and harmony in these works. By the end, when offers a transcendent performance of (the last work wrote, already in the grip of madness), the listener has the feeling of having been on quite a ride. One is excited to discover the content and structure of 's next volume, which presumably will include the . ~ James Manheim