Theme+variations

[pianovirus]

Please help me discover some more (little played, but good) variation sets, classical or romantic.

What I like:
- all sets by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms
- Hexameron, Alkan's Festin, Schumann's Symphonic Studies, and Reger's two big sets.
- Czerny's op. 12 (Variations on a Viennese Waltz), Rode Variations, Herz's Variations of Last Rose of Summer, Haydn's piano version of his string quartet Emperor variations.

[communist]

Szymanowski has a good set of variations on a Polish folk song. You should take a look at Haydn's andante and variations in F Minor. The Rachmaninoff Chopin variations are good and underplayed.

[sharon_f]

Manuel Infante Variations on El Vito

Mompou, Variations on a theme by Chopin

Robert Muczynski,"Desperate Measures" Variations on a theme of Paganini
(yes, that theme)

Rachmaninoff, Variations on a theme by Corelli


Chopin, Variations on Je vends des scapulaires

[aslanov]

I second the variations on theme of corelli
youtube has Lugansky playing it. fantastic piece, and pianist.

[zemyk4e]

John Ogdon's Theme & Variations is an excellent piece also ...

[indutrial]

I strongly second the Szymanowski op. 10 Variations on a Polish Folk Theme and would further suggest taking a look at his op. 3 Variations in Bb minor.

Bentzon's Paganini Variations are quite nice, even if they're a bit newer than classical/romantic sets. Other good Paganini Variations are those by Mark Hambourg (1902) and Alexander Rosenblatt (1988?).

Other choices that might be nice:

Haba's Variations on a Canon by Schumann, op. 1b
Honegger's early work Toccata and Variations (1919)
Faure's Theme and Variations in C# minor, op. 73
Vladigerov's op. 3 Variations on a popular Bulgarian song
Skalkottas 15 Little Variations (1927)

The Szymanowski and Faure sets are likely the closest to what you're after.

[pianovirus]

Wow, you guys are awesome! Many pieces here that I don't know so far.
The Szymanowski suggestions reminded me that I have his complete piano music (played by Sinae Lee) with only cursory listening so far. Changed this for the op. 3 and 10 now - great pieces indeed.

Will have to hunt for the other suggestions now.
Btw, don't feel limited in you suggestions by my initial search for mainly classical/romantic - if you have good variations to suggest outside this time, please do (I'll do so, too, below)

Let me add some more
- Clara Schumann: Variations on a theme by Robert op. 20
- Stevenson: Variations on a Chopin prelude (c minor)
- Busoni: " (long and short version)
- Sorabji: Symphonic variations based on Chopin's 2nd sonata (I have only one variation on a CD from Habermann. Is the whole work piano solo?)
- Busoni: Variation study after Mozart (from Klavierübung)
- Grieg: Ballade op. 24 (Variations on a Norwegian Folk Melody)
- Alkan: RH etude from op. 76
- Alkan: Variations on a theme from Steibelt's orage concerto
- Lyapunov: Variations on a Georgian Theme
- Sibelius 11 Variations on a harmonic formula
- Nielsen: Theme + Variations op. 40
- Janacek: Zdenka-Variationen
- Horowitz: Carmen Variations
- Czerny: Variations brillantes op. 14

[jimpenn]

- Sorabji: Symphonic variations based on Chopin's 2nd sonata (I have only one variation on a CD from Habermann. Is the whole work piano solo?)

Sorabji's "Symphonic Variations" aren't based on Chopin's 2nd sonata; only variation 56 is based on the Chopin (the fourth movment thereof). There are two versions of the "Symphonic Variations"; one, for piano solo, features 81 variations and would last an estimated nine hours. A later version sets the first 27 variations as a concertante work for piano and orchestra, and it's estimated that it would run some three and a bit hours!

[pianovirus]

Sorabji's "Symphonic Variations" aren't based on Chopin's 2nd sonata; only variation 56 is based on the Chopin (the fourth movment thereof). There are two versions of the "Symphonic Variations"; one, for piano solo, features 81 variations and would last an estimated nine hours. A later version sets the first 27 variations as a concertante work for piano and orchestra, and it's estimated that it would run some three and a bit hours!

Nine hours... 
So that may explain why there is just this single variation on the CD by Mr Habermann 
Thanks for the information!

[indutrial]

Nine hours... 
So that may explain why there is just this single variation on the CD by Mr Habermann 
Thanks for the information!

I recently purchased Sorabji's Sequentia cyclica super "Dies irę", a massive multi-part work that was written a decade after the Symphonic Variations and Opus Clavicembalisticum. One of this work's larger sections is a Passacaglia with 100 variations. Like the Symphonic Variations, the work is mostly unperformed and unrecorded, although Jonathan Powell has been working towards preparing a full performance of the work.

[gep]

Sorabji's "Symphonic Variations" aren't based on Chopin's 2nd sonata; only variation 56 is based on the Chopin (the fourth movment thereof). There are two versions of the "Symphonic Variations"; one, for piano solo, features 81 variations and would last an estimated nine hours. A later version sets the first 27 variations as a concertante work for piano and orchestra, and it's estimated that it would run some three and a bit hours!

If you go to the Sorabji-files website www.sorabji-files.com/music you can find about 2/3-s of the orchestral Symphonic Variations in a "virtual performance". I think it's a very beautiful and interesting piece!

[gep]

I recently purchased Sorabji's Sequentia cyclica super "Dies irę", a massive multi-part work that was written a decade after the Symphonic Variations and Opus Clavicembalisticum. One of this work's larger sections is a Passacaglia with 100 variations. Like the Symphonic Variations, the work is mostly unperformed and unrecorded, although Jonathan Powell has been working towards preparing a full performance of the work.

He played the first half of it recently, and I think he's planning to play the whole work in 2010 (in Germany?). I'd love to have a recording of it someday....

[redbaron]

Rachmaninov - Paganini Rhapsody, a set of 24 variations on Paganini's 24th Caprice for solo violin. The 18th variation will leave you in tears...

[indutrial]

He played the first half of it recently, and I think he's planning to play the whole work in 2010 (in Germany?). I'd love to have a recording of it someday....

The score is a real treat, especially since it was typeset last year. I'd recommend Americans pick it up while the British pound is where it's at.