Leslie Kinton Makes Solo Recording Debut with Beethoven's Diabelli Variations

Leaf Music and pianist Leslie Kinton have announced the upcoming release of a new recording, Beethoven Diabelli Variations (LM319), in digital and physical formats. The recording marks the first solo release for Kinton, who is one half of the renowned Anagnoson & Kinton Piano Duo.

Beethoven's Diabelli Variations in C Major, Op. 120 consists of 33 variations on a waltz originally composed by Anton Diabelli. Diabelli sent his short waltz theme to the leading composers of the day, including Schubert, Liszt, Czerny and Beethoven, who initially rejected the piece as a 'Schusterfleck,' a 'cobbler's patch.' Eventually he changed his mind, writing not one variation but an entire set of thirty-three, the culmination of his work for the piano. The result is often regarded as the greatest set of piano variations ever written, acknowledged by Diabelli himself as comparable only to Bach's Goldberg Variations.

Composed between 1819 and 1823, Beethoven titled the work 'Transformations' instead of the more typical 'Variations.' He stays with Diabelli's C major for most of the set, except for C minor for Variations 9 and 29-31 and E flat major for the triple fugue in Variation 32. This dramatic impact is followed by Variation 33, a closing minuet, back in C major. Leslie Kinton portrays the piece as grouped into four main sections, each ending with a distinct sense of closure, concluding with a 'visionary affirmation.'

About Leslie Kinton

Toronto-born Leslie Kinton studied piano with Pierre Souvairan and composition with Samuel Dolin. He later continued piano studies in New York with Jeaneane Dowis and Karl Ulrich Schnabel. He holds a Ph.D. in music theory from the University of Toronto.

As part of the Anagnoson & Kinton piano duo, Leslie Kinton has performed throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. The duo has appeared with major orchestras across Canada and have a discography of nine recordings. Anagnoson & Kinton are heard on CBC Radio almost every week, and have also been broadcast on the BBC, US National Public Radio, Czech Radio, Hilversum Radio (Netherlands), Hong Kong Radio and Radio Suisse Romande. In 2019 the musicians were named Honorary Fellows of the Royal Conservatory of Music, the highest distinction conferred by the organization, to those who have made an extraordinary contribution to arts and culture in Canada and beyond. Leslie Kinton is Professor of Piano Performance at the University of Western Ontario.

Beethoven Diabelli Variations will be available to stream on major platforms, with physical and digital copies available September 25.

Beethoven Diabelli Variations was recorded, mixed and mastered by Anton Kwiatkowski in 2025 in Burlington, Ontario, his final pre-retirement recording project.

Leaf Music is an independent recording label based in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Nashville, Tennessee, making and distributing high-quality classical music recordings by artists and composers from across North America. The label's catalogue of solo, orchestral, and chamber music is distributed by Naxos of America to music retailers, download providers, and streaming services. Leaf Music is also a provider of professional audio and video production, post-production services and integrated music marketing and distribution in North America.