The Diabelli Project

On Saturday, March 9th at 3 PM we welcome to Northwards House the award-winning Italian pianist, Danilo Mascetti, presenting The Diabelli Project.

Mascetti first came to the attention of South African audiences as the second prizewinner at the Unisa Internet Piano Competition in 2020, also winning special prizes for his performances of Baroque and Classical compositions during the competition. As a musician with a wide-ranging repertoire, Mascetti is also very active as a fortepianist and continuo player with an interest in historically informed performances, recently appearing as soloist in concerti for two keyboards by Mozart and CPE Bach, amongst others. He is currently pursuing postgraduate studies (European Master of Early Music) at the Janacék Academy of Performing Arts in Brno as well as at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague.

It is therefore fitting to present him in a performance of one of the crowning achievements of the 19th century music, Beethoven’s 33 Variations on a waltz by Anton Diabelli Op. 120. This masterpiece forms the first part of Diabelli’s publication, “Vaterländischer Künstlerverein”, freely translated as Patriotic Artists’ Association. Published in 1823-4, this was a collaborative musical anthology, incorporating 83 variations for piano on a theme by Anton Diabelli, written by 51 composers living in or associated with Austria.

After Beethoven’s composition, the remaining 50 variations were submitted by individual composers, many of whom are unknown today. Forming the second part of “Vaterländischer Künstlerverein”, Mascetti was inspired to compile a unique set of variations assembled from this group, selecting individual variations from composers such as Schubert, Liszt, Moscheles, Kalkbrenner, and Hummel.

For his upcoming recital at Northwards House, Mascetti will be presenting this set of variations compiled from Diabelli’s “Vaterländischer Künstlerverein”, followed by Beethoven’s 33 Variations on a waltz by Anton Diabelli Op. 120.

Join us at Northwards House at 21 Rockridge Road in Parktown, Johannesburg on Saturday, March 9th, at 3 PM for an afternoon of exquisite beauty in the company of the world’s most beautiful music.