Some dazzling piano effects highlight Beethoven’s WoO 71, a delightful set of 12 piano variations and coda on a Russian dance from the 1796 ballet score Das Waldmädchen (“The Forest Girl”) by Moravian-Austrian composer Paul Wranitzky.
#Beethoven250 Day 90
Variations on a Russian Dance from Wranitzky’s “Das Waldmädchen” (WoO 71), 1796–97
Austrian pianist Sophie Druml doesn’t start playing until 0:58 — this is, after all, a competition rather than a normal concert — but it’s worth the wait.
Beethoven dedicated the WoO 71 variations to Countess Anna Margarete von Browne. In return, Count Browne gave Beethoven a horse. But after a few outings, apparently Beethoven lost interest in riding, and his servant was able to rent out the horse without Beethoven noticing.