Abandoned Hall

The Diabelli Variations (Op. 120) are Beethoven's last major work for the piano. The work went neglected for decades after its publication in 1824 until Hans von Bülow rediscovered it, championing it as the "Mikrokosmos of Beethoven's genius" (as if he had already heard Bartok). "Indeed", he wrote, "the whole world of tone and evolution of musical thought is outlined here, from the most contained contemplation to the most abandoned humor - an unbelievable rich variety". Many will agree that Op. 120 is one of Beethoven's foremost compositions; for sure the greatest set of variations ever written for the piano.

Regarded as one of the great voices of the Metropolitan Opera, Richard Tucker made his debut there as Alfredo Germont in Verdi’s La Traviata, in January, 1945, and became a specialist in the Italian and French lyric roles. He appeared with the Metropolitan Opera in 734 performances. The only other tenors to have had longer professional careers were Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti. Sony Classical celebrates 100 years of this legendary American tenor with the release of two limited- edition original album releases.