The Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel Op. 24 was composed in 1861 and given to Clara Schumann as a gift for her 42nd birthday.
Performer Biography
Vladimir Feltsman, the pianist on this album, debuted with the Moscow Philharmonic at age 11 and won the Grand Prix at the Marguerite Long International Piano Competition in Paris in 1971.
Compositional Technique
Brahms followed the Baroque tradition of writing variations on the bass line rather than the melody, a technique also used in Bach's Goldberg Variations and Beethoven's Diabelli Variations.
Performer Biography
Vladimir Feltsman was banned from public performance and had his recordings suppressed for eight years by the Soviet regime after applying for an exit visa in 1979.
Composer Biography
Brahms composed all his piano variations during his twenties, in the 1850s and early 1860s, a time when piano variations were no longer a popular genre.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Johannes Brahms believed that in variations, the bass line was sacred and the firm foundation for building his musical stories, while the melody was secondary.
Composition History
Brahms' Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann Op. 9, completed when he was 21, were a tribute to Robert Schumann, who had recently entered a mental hospital.
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Reger: Piano Music - Bach Variations, Telemann Variations etc.
