Martinů's Variations on a Theme of Rossini, written for cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, adapts Angelina's final aria 'Non più mesta' from Rossini's opera La Cenerentola, transforming it into humorous and sarcastic variations.
Composer Biography
Every one of Chopin's compositions is either for solo piano or piano with other instruments, making his late Cello Sonata of 1845/46 a notable exception.
Composition History
Shostakovich composed his Cello Sonata in 1934, the same year his opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District was condemned by the government and banned for nearly thirty years.
Compositional Technique
Debussy's Cello Sonata, part of a planned series of six sonatas, is characterized by frequent changes of mood and tempo, reflecting his capricious style.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Shostakovich intended his Cello Sonata to compose with simplicity without simplification and clarity without the obligatory 'euphony', against the backdrop of Stalin's regime ordering composers to write music for the masses.
Compositional Technique
Bohuslav Martinů's Variations on a Slovakian Theme, his final chamber work, uses the F minor theme 'Ked' bych já vedela' from Viliam Figuš-Bystrý's collection of Slovak Folk songs.
