Beethoven cycle at Wigmore Hall

Tonight sees the culmination of Cédric Tiberghien’s Beethoven cycle at Wigmore Hall with a recital of the Diabelli Variations preceded by a new sonata by Australian composer Lisa Illean commissioned for the occasion.

The project began almost five years ago and has seen Cédric give six recitals at the Hall, juxtaposing Beethoven’s variations with works by Webern, Kurtág, Ligeti, Schumann and Cage. The performances have earned praise from critics, including a five-star review from Bachtrack, who observed, “By the second set of Beethoven variations, there was no dividing line separating soloist from sound, and one could hear, feel and almost see the jovial Beethoven who composed these strikingly original lines.”

Cédric also teamed up with Harmonia Mundi to record a two-disc set which took Beethoven's themes and variations as a starting point and wove them together with major sets by other composers. The first album earned an International Classical Music Awards nomination in the Solo Instrument category.