Hyperion Records

The Là ci darem variations, Op 2 (1827) are a Mozart hommage of particularly imposing gesture, written originally for piano and orchestra and first played in such form at the Kärntnertortheater, Vienna, on 11 August 1829, with the composer himself as soloist, this work has for its basis a well-known tune from Don Giovanni – the first act duet between Zerlina and the Don: ‘There we’ll take hands and you will whisper “Yes”. See, it’s close by; let’s leave this place, my darling.’ Combining grace with strength, poetic declamation with virtuoso bravura, the pageant of its imagination, the vibrancy of its creative flame, is remarkable. Writing in the Leipzig Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung (7 December 1831), the young Schumann was to hail it fancifully and famously: ‘Off with your hats, gentlemen – a genius!’

from notes by Ates Orga © 1991