Tchaikovsky - Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33

 The Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, for cello and orchestra was the closest Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ever came to writing a full concerto for cello and orchestra. The style was inspired by Mozart, Tchaikovsky's role model, and makes it clear that Tchaikovsky admired the Classical style very much. However, the Theme is not Rococo in origin, but actually an original theme in the Rococo style. Tchaikovsky wrote this piece for and with the help of Wilhelm Fitzenhagen, a German cellist and fellow-professor at the Moscow Conservatory. Fitzenhagen gave the premiere in Moscow on November 30, 1877, with Nikolai Rubinstein conducting. This was perhaps the only hearing of the Variations as Tchaikovsky wrote the piece until 1941, when it was played in Moscow without Fitzenhagen's by-then-standard emendations.

 VIDEO: P. I. Tchaikovsky - Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33, for cello and orchestra (1876-1877): a) Moderato assai quasi Andante — Tema. Moderato semplice b) Var. I: Tempo del Tema c) Var. II: Tempo del Tema d) Var. III: Andante sostenuto e) Var. IV: Andante grazioso f) Var. V: Allegro moderato g) Var. VI: Andante h) Var. VII: Allegro vivo Soloist - Antonio Meneses Moskow Radio Symphony Orchestra Conductor - Vladimir Fedoseyev Recorded live at the Alte Oper Frankfurt, 1991

 

Wagner - Die Walküre: "The Ride of the Valkyries"

Die Walküre (The Valkyrie), WWV 86B, is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner with a German libretto by the composer. It is the second of the four operas that form Wagner's cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). The story of the opera is based on the Norse mythology told in the Volsunga Saga and the Poetic Edda.[1][2] In Norse mythology, a valkyrie is one in a group of female figures who decide which soldiers die in battle and which live. Die Walküre's best-known excerpt is the "Ride of the Valkyries". It received its premiere at the Königliches Hof- und National-Theater in Munich on 26 June 1870. Wagner originally intended the opera to be premiered as part of the entire cycle, but was forced to allow the performance at the insistence of his patron King Ludwig II of Bavaria. It was first presented as part of the complete cycle on 14 August 1876 at Wagner's Bayreuth Festival. The opera made its United States premiere at the Academy of Music in New York on 2 April 1877. The "Ride of the Valkyries" (German: Walkürenritt or Ritt der Walküren) is the popular term for the beginning of act 3 of Die Walküre, the second of the four operas by Richard Wagner that constitute Der Ring des Nibelungen. Ride of the Valkyries Performed by the American Symphony Orchestra for Edison Records in 1921 Problems playing this file? See media help. As a separate piece, the "Ride" is often heard in a purely instrumental version, which may be as short as three minutes. Together with the "Bridal Chorus" from Lohengrin, the Ride of the Valkyries is one of Wagner's best-known pieces.

  VIDEO: Conducted by Pierre Boulez

BRAHMS Variations on a theme by HAYDN op.56

The Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, (German: Variationen über ein Thema von Jos. Haydn), now also called the Saint Anthony Variations, is a work in the form of a theme and variations, composed by Johannes Brahms in the summer of 1873 at Tutzing in Bavaria. It consists of a theme in B-flat major based on a "Chorale St Antoni", eight variations, and a finale. The work was published in two versions: for two pianos, written first but designated Op. 56b; and for orchestra, designated Op. 56a. The orchestral version is better known and much more often heard than the two-piano version. It is often said to be the first independent set of variations for orchestra in the history of music, although there is at least one earlier piece in the same form, Antonio Salieri's Twenty-six Variations on 'La folia di Spagna' written in 1815. Brahms's orchestral variations are scored for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns (2 in E flat, 2 in B flat), 2 trumpets, timpani, triangle, and the normal string section of first and second violins, violas, cellos and double basses. The piece usually takes about 18 minutes to perform. The first performance of the orchestral version was given on 2 November 1873 by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Brahms's baton. WIKIPEDIA

VIDEO: Johannes BRAHMS Gustavo DUDAMEL variation on a theme by HAYDN op.56 

MENDELSSOHN Variations concertantes

Portrait of Mendelssohn by the English miniaturist James Warren Childe (1778–1862), 1839

The Variations concertantes were written in 1829, when the composer was twenty. Their theme is one of those sweet, almost annoyingly simple melodies which represent the ‘homey’ side of Mendelssohn. It is followed by eight variations which show the influence of both Mozart’s and Beethoven’s sets of variations, but whose final number bursts out of its frame in a sudden display of Romantic fervour.

 

VIDEO: Anne Richardson, cello Luis Ortiz, piano May 16, 2015

Ottorino Respighi, Church Windows aka Vetrate di Chiesa

Following the great success The Fountains of Rome and The Pines of Rome, Respighi offers further proof of his supreme orchestral mastery with his set of "Four Symphonic Impressions," Vetrate di Chiesa...Church Windows finished in 1927. Respighi held a lifelong fascination for early music and in middle age composed several works that look back to earlier eras, e.g., the Ancient Airs and Dances, The Birds, and the Concerto Gregoriano.Church Windows belongs to this group and makes use of fragments of Gregorian chant, incorporating melodies and harmonic structures from the older modes of the church. These modes are contained in a modern orchestral context, effectively marrying ancient and contemporary means of musical expression. The subject of Church Windows derives from traditional Italian religious scenes as viewed through the magnificent stained glass frescoes of the church.

                         WIKIPEDIA                             

 VIDEO: Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra/Manfred Honeck

CHOPIN Variations on 'La ci darem la mano' Mozart's Don Giovanni

Frédéric Chopin's Variations on "Là ci darem la mano" for piano and orchestra, Op. 2, was written in 1827, when he was aged only 17. "Là ci darem la mano" is a duet sung by Don Giovanni and Zerlina in Act I of Mozart's opera Don Giovanni, and Chopin's adaptation inspired Robert Schumann's famous exclamation, Hats off, gentlemen! A genius! The work is often recorded and played in concert. The work was premiered on 11 August 1829 at the Vienna Kärntnertortheater, with Chopin as the soloist. It received very positive audience and critical acclaim. Writing to his parents in Warsaw about his success, he said that "everyone clapped so loudly after each variation that I had difficulty hearing the orchestral tutti." Publication followed in 1830, with a dedication to his friend Titus Woyciechowski.



  WIKIPEDIA

VIDEO: Variations in B-flat on "Là ci darem la mano" from Mozart's "Don Giovanni" for piano and orchestra, Op. 2 London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Eliahu Inbal. Claudio Arrau (piano)

Liszt "Valse de l'opéra Faust" (after Gounod)

Gounod’s Faust, despite its cavalier approach to Goethe, has held the boards from the beginning, but Liszt’s ingenious elaboration of the Waltz, into which he inserts material from the first encounter of Faust and Gretchen, goes a long way towards restoring the demonic spirit of the play, and especially of the dark purpose of Mephistopheles in the relationship of the lovers. Musically, Gounod is transformed and transcended at a stroke!--Leslie Howard, 1990

  VIDEO: Louis Kentner plays Liszt "Valse de l'opéra Faust" (after Gounod)

 

Sibelius Valse Triste

Valse triste (Sad Waltz), Op. 44, No. 1, is a short orchestral work by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It was originally part of the incidental music he composed for his brother-in-law Arvid Järnefelt's 1903 play Kuolema (Death), but is far better known as a separate concert piece. Sibelius wrote six pieces for the 2 December 1903 production of Kuolema. The first was titled Tempo di valse lente - Poco risoluto. In 1904 he revised the piece, which was performed in Helsinki on 25 April of that year as Valse triste. It was an instant hit with the public, took on a life of its own, and remains one of Sibelius's signature pieces.        WIKIPEDIA



VIDEO: Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Lorenza Borrani premier violine solo/Konzert meister. Conductor : Vladimir Ashkenazy Cité de la musique Paris. 

Brahms Variations on a Theme of Haydn

The Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, (German: Variationen über ein Thema von Jos. Haydn), now also called the Saint Anthony Variations, is a work in the form of a theme and variations, composed by Johannes Brahms in the summer of 1873 at Tutzing in Bavaria. It consists of a theme in B-flat major based on a "Chorale St Antoni", eight variations, and a finale. The work was published in two versions: for two pianos, written first but designated Op. 56b; and for orchestra, designated Op. 56a. The orchestral version is better known and much more often heard than the two-piano version. It is often said to be the first independent set of variations for orchestra in the history of music, although there is at least one earlier piece in the same form, Antonio Salieri's Twenty-six Variations on 'La folia di Spagna' written in 1815. Brahms's orchestral variations are scored for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns (2 in E flat, 2 in B flat), 2 trumpets, timpani, triangle, and the normal string section of first and second violins, violas, cellos and double basses.  The first performance of the orchestral version was given on 2 November 1873 by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Brahms's baton. The piece usually takes about 18 minutes to perform.

                                    WIKIPEDIA                                                    



VIDEO: Brahms,Variations on a Theme by Haydn(1/3),Dir.Liviu BUIUC 

Rachmaninov Vocalise for Orchestra, Op 34

Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14, is a song by Sergei Rachmaninoff, composed and published in 1915 as the last of his "Fourteen Songs", Op. 34. Written for high voice (soprano or tenor) with piano accompaniment, it contains no words, but is sung using any one vowel (of the singer's choosing). It was dedicated to soprano Antonina Nezhdanova. The work for orchestra was arranged by Rachmaninoff himself.
                  WIKIPEDIA        
VIDEO: A vocal exercise taken to a different level by the great Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff. Written for either soprano or tenor, it is most often sung by a soprano. There are many different arrangements of Vocalise due to its popularity. Philadelphia Orchestra / Eugene Ormandy.

Variations On a Nursery Song Op 25 of E Von Dohnanyi

Dohnanyi 'Variations On a Nursery Song' Op 25

There is a composer's tounge in cheek dramatic introduction to this very
simple piano concerto. A melodic variation on a Nursey Song composed by
Ernst Von Dohnanyi in 1918. He played the work at it's FP in Berlin on February 17, 1924. He
dedicated the work to the enjoyment of lovers of humor and to the annoyance of others. The tune is known by music lovers everywhere, Mozart used it for a set of piano variations in 1778. The Dohnanyi orchestral version is known for it's humor and wit. MORE

.    Search Amazon.com for Ernst von Dohnányi Nursery Song

The native form of this personal name is Dohnányi, Ernő. This article uses the Western name order.
Ernő Dohnányi aka the German form of his name Ernst von Dohnányi for most of his published compositions.
Ernő Dohnányi (July 27, 1877 – February 9, 1960) was a Hungarian conductor, composer, and pianist. Composer and pianist. Ernst von Dohnanyi, is best known for the Variations on a Nursery Song. He taught at Florida State in the 1950s. The Dohnányi family was ennobled by Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary. MORE. | Search Amazon.com for Ernst von Dohnányi

Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge ~ Britten

Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10, is a work for string orchestra by Benjamin Britten. It was written in 1937 at the request of Boyd Neel, who conducted his orchestra at the premiere of the work at that year's Salzburg Festival. It was the work that brought Britten to international attention. Benjamin Britten studied with Frank Bridge from 1927. In 1932 he began writing a set of variations on a theme from one of Bridge's works, as a tribute to his teacher, but he was distracted by other matters and the work went nowhere. Britten took as his theme the second of Bridge's Three Idylls for string quartet, Op. 6, No. 2. The first sketch was completed in 10 days[3], and the work was fully scored by 12 July.
He dedicated the work "to F.B. A tribute with affection and admiration". all Wikipedia notes

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Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh, OM CH (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. Showing prodigious talent from an early age – he composed his Quatre Chansons françaises for soprano and orchestra at the age of fourteen – he first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945 he leapt to international fame, and for the next fifteen years he devoted much of his compositional attention to writing operas, several of which now appear regularly on international stages. Britten's interests as a composer were wide-ranging; he produced important music in such varied genres as orchestral, choral, solo vocal (much of it written for the tenor Peter Pears), chamber and instrumental, as well as film music. He also took a great interest in writing music for children and amateur performers, and was considered a fine pianist and conductor.

Entire Wikipedia Bio