A CD full of small goods, in which the ever popular Für Elise rightly stands out because of its melodic character. Most of these Bagatellen and Klavierstücke are somewhat less graceful; they could function well as a minuet or scherzo in a Beethoven sonata. The thirteen loose pieces are chips from the workshop; they were never published in Beethoven's lifetime. The three cycles with trivia - op.33,
… op.119 & op.126 - obviously appeared in print. These cycles are fascinating because Beethoven experimented here with a different design than in his sonatas. Some parts of op.119 are so short that they can only serve as a prelude to the sequel. Playing with mood swings thus becomes an important form principle; and that was something that really appealed to romantics like Schumann. Also in on. 126 Ronald Brautigam knows how to sharply portray the sardonic teasing. This bundle of six trivia was the last piano collection Beethoven published. (HJ)more
