Variations on Themes by Alfred Schnittke
Tyler Harrison
About this work:
The Variations on Themes by Alfred Schnittke is a set of solo piano variations written on three themes from Alfred Schnittke’s Violin Concerto No. 1, III. Allegro Scherzando. Introduced to Schnittke’s music some time ago, I often thought of writing a set of variations on one of his themes. Schnittke, of course, frequently quoted music of earlier composers in many of his works, and consequently, quoting this composer in the setting of a theme and variations seemed logically appealing.
Aside from its formal components, my Variations employ wide dynamic and stylistic contrasts, which suddenly change often in the context of a single variation. Thus, my Variations serve as an homage to the composer himself, who often employed these contrasts and changes in the context of his many remarkable compositions.
Version: 2007
Year composed: 2007
Duration: 10:00:00
Ensemble type: Keyboard:Piano
Instrumentation: 1 Piano