P.D.Q. Bach - Variations on an Unusually Simple-Minded Theme for piano and orchestra (S. 1)
Scored w/ Sibelius Ultimate & NotePerformer
0:00 - Introduction and Theme
2:49 - Variation I. Allegro moderato
4:02 - Variation II. Allegro
5:21 - Variation III. Andante con moto
6:56 - Variation IV. Allegro
7:49 - Variation V. Lento
10:11 - Variation VI. Molto moderato
13:01 - Finale. Vivace
18:05 - Encore
They say that the simpler the theme, the more complicated the variations, but that’s just what they say. Such is the case for P.D.Q. Bach’s Variations on an Unusually Simple-Minded Theme. The manuscript of this work was unearthed in a Utah desert. I saw what I thought was a cluster of locusts, and it turned out to be notes on a manuscript. The score was preserved by the desert climate. It's hard to resist the thought that it was somehow delivered to me.
The work itself is basically a piano concerto in the form of theme and variations. The theme in this case is "almost childlike." It's sort of a cliche in classical music that a simple theme gives free range for a composer's imagination. This piece proves that this is not necessarily true. The theme is taken from an opera, but that doesn't help. It's subjected to different variation treatments, but the harmonies never get any fancier than they are in the theme, even though plenty of stuff happens.
Even so, the variations show P.D.Q. to have been well ahead of his time. In the second variation, the composer introduces the woodwinds by having them stand up and move side to side when they're playing, like big-band musicians.
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