“Composed obsession: trying to solve the mystery behind one of Beethoven’s lesser-known masterpieces.”

One of classical music’s enduring riddles is why Ludwig van Beethoven devoted four years of his diminishing life writing 33 variations of a mediocre waltz. Two hundred years later, modern-day music scholar Dr. Katherine Brandt is driven to solve the mystery even as her own health and relationship with her daughter crumbles. Even though they’re separated by 200 years, these two people share an obsession that might, even just for a moment, make time stand still. Moisés Kaufman (The Laramie Project) wrote this passionate play that simultaneously explores the composer’s creations and the struggle of the musicologist.

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