Mozart - Variations on 'Salve tu, Domine' of Paisiello, KV 398

[andhow04]

this is a recording from a live concert of mine in the Boston area last month!

a little background on this piece. Paisiello was unknown to me but he was apparently more prominent as an opera composer during Mozart's time than Mozart was. Beethoven later wrote some variations sets on Paisiello tunes. he wrote the first "Barber of Seville" and was upstaged by Rossini 30 years later.

this simple little aria comes from the opera "The Imaginary Philosophers," basically a satire about pretentious scholars. this area has one of those scholars/professors singing in some nonsense Latin to a group of students, with some comical Italian asides.

mozart's sets of Variations are more appealing to me these days than the sonatas, they have more fantasy with all of the virtuosity. this one sticks close to the aria for the first three variations, then at the pivotal minor key variation it becomes progressively more like an extended cadenza-improvisation.

i didn't know this piece well but chose it out the Henle Variatons collection, there is a recording by Gilels which is a little harsh to my ear, and a lovely one by Walter Klien. enjoy!