Bohuslav Martinů's Variations on a Theme of Rossini, H290, despite its title, uses a theme by Paganini, not Rossini, and was written in 1942 after Martinů fled Paris for the US.
Composition History
Beethoven's Variations on 'Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen' from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte was composed ten years after the opera's 1791 premiere, as Beethoven considered The Magic Flute his favorite Mozart opera.
Compositional Technique
Schumann's Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70, and Schubert's Auf dem Strom, D943, both feature cello parts originally intended for the horn.
Composition History
Schubert composed Auf dem Strom, D943, as a tribute to Beethoven, setting a poem by Rellstab that Beethoven had intended to set before his death.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in The Stoller Hall at Chetham's School of Music, a place where cellist Guy Johnston spent his teenage years.
Album & Artwork
The album title 'Themes and Variations' reflects the recurring themes and variations in the performers' lives, even though only three works are explicitly in variation form.
Performer Biography
The two main performers, Guy Johnston (cello) and Tom Poster (piano), first met in the final of the BBC Young Musician Competition in 2000.
