Themes and Variations
Tom Service explores the endless potential of musical variations on a theme.
Tom Service explores the endless potential of musical variations on a theme. On the one hand it's the simplest of all musical ideas - take a basic tune and play around with it - and yet on the other, it's a deeply profound reflection of life, as small sequences of musical DNA provide the building blocks for structures of ever increasing complexity.
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Music Played
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Richard Blackford
The Great animal orchestra; Introduction and Tuning
Conductor: Martyn Brabbins. Performer: 91ȱ National Orchestra of Wales.- Nimbus.
- NI6274.
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Benjamin Britten
The Young person's guide to the orchestra; Fugue
Conductor: Sir Andrew Davis. Performer: 91ȱ Symphony Orchestra.- Teldec.
- 9031731262.
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Richard Rodgers
My favourite things [from 'The Sound of Music']
Performer: Elvin Jones. Performer: John Coltrane. Performer: McCoy Tyner. Performer: Steve Davis.- Atlantic.
- 7567-81346-2.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Theme
Performer: Lang Lang.- DG.
- 4797528.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Diabelli Variations; Variation 6
Performer: Llŷr Williams.- Signum Classics.
- SIGCD527.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 1
Performer: Lang Lang.- DG.
- 4797528.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 2
Performer: Lang Lang.- DG.
- 4797528.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 3
Performer: Lang Lang.- DG.
- 4797528.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
112 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 4
Performer: Lang Lang.- DG.
- 4797528.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 6
Performer: Lang Lang.- DG.
- 4797528.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 7
Performer: Lang Lang.- DG.
- 4797528.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 8
Performer: Lang Lang.- DG.
- 4797528.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 9
Performer: Lang Lang.- DG.
- 4797528.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 11
Performer: Lang Lang.- DG.
- 4797528.
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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 12
Performer: Lang Lang.- DG.
- 4797528.
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Richard Rodgers
My favourite things [from 'The Sound of Music']
Performer: Julie Andrews.- RCA.
- 07863 66587-2.
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Johannes Brahms
25 Variations and fugue on a theme by G F Handel Op.24
Performer: Murray Perahia.- Sony Classical.
- 88697727252.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
5 Variations on 'Rule Britannia' in D major WoO.79
Performer: Cédric Tiberghien.- Harmonia Mundi.
- HMC901775.
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Andrew Lloyd Webber
Variations
Performer: Barbara Thompson. Performer: Don Airey. Performer: Gary Moore. Performer: John Mole. Performer: Jon Hiseman. Performer: Julian Lloyd Webber. Performer: Rod Argent.- MCA Records.
- DMCL 1816.
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Nicola Matteis
Variations on La Folia
Performer: Théotime Langlois de Swarte. Performer: Thomas Dunford.- Harmonia Mundi.
- 902305DI.
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Antonio Vivaldi
Trio sonata in D minor RV.63, Op.1`12 (La Follia) for 2 violins and continuo
Performer: Hespèrion XXI.- Alia Vox.
- AV9844.
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Sergey Rachmaninov
Variations on a theme of Corelli Op.42
Performer: Howard Shelley.- Hyperion.
- CDA66009.
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Antonio Salieri
24 Variations on 'La Folia di Spagnia'
Conductor: Matthias Bamert. Performer: London Mozart Players.- CHANDOS.
- CHAN 9877.
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Max Richter
Three worlds - music from Woolf Works
Conductor: Robert Ziegler. Performer: Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg.- DG.
- 4797158.
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Johannes Brahms
Variations on a theme by Haydn Op.56a
Conductor: Riccardo Chailly. Performer: Gewandhausorchester Leipzig.- Decca.
- 478-7471.
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Frederic Rzewski
Variations on "The People United will Never be Defeated"; Final Variation
Performer: Igor Levit.- SONY.
- 88875060962.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Diabelli Variations; Theme
Performer: Llŷr Williams.- Signum Classics.
- SIGCD527.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Diabelli Variations; Variation 1
Performer: Llŷr Williams.- Signum Classics.
- SIGCD527.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Diabelli Variations; Variation 6
Performer: Llŷr Williams.- Signum Classics.
- SIGCD527.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Diabelli Variations; Variation 10
Performer: Llŷr Williams.- Signum Classics.
- SIGCD527.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Diabelli Variations; Variation 12
Performer: Llŷr Williams.- Signum Classics.
- SIGCD527.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Diabelli Variations; Variation 13
Performer: Llŷr Williams.- Signum Classics.
- SIGCD527.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Diabelli Variations; Variation 20
Performer: Llŷr Williams.- Signum Classics.
- SIGCD527.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Diabelli Variations; Variation 21
Performer: Llŷr Williams.- Signum Classics.
- SIGCD527.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Diabelli Variations; Variation 22
Performer: Llŷr Williams.- Signum Classics.
- SIGCD527.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Diabelli Variations; Variation 31
Performer: Llŷr Williams.- Signum Classics.
- SIGCD527.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Diabelli Variations; Variation 32
Performer: Llŷr Williams.- Signum Classics.
- SIGCD527.
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Ludwig van Beethoven
Diabelli Variations; Variation 33
Performer: Llŷr Williams.- Signum Classics.
- SIGCD527.
Broadcasts
- Sun 18 Jul 2021 17:0091ȱ Radio 3
- Fri 23 Jul 2021 16:3091ȱ Radio 3
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The Listening Service
An odyssey through the musical universe, presented by Tom Service