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© Harald Hoffmann
SEONG-JIN CHO
Händel, Gubaidulina, Brahms & Schumann
Pianist Seong-Jin Cho explores the theme and variations genre, from Georg Friedrich Händel to Sofia Gubaidulina, via two masterpieces of the romantic period.
Programme
GEORG FRIEDRICH HÄNDEL (1685-1759)
Suite No. 5 in E Major HWV 430
SOFIA GUBAIDULINA (1931-)
Chaconne
JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Händel Op. 24
Interval
ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Symphonic Etudes Op. 13
Distribution
- Seong-Jin Cho piano
Suite No. 5 in E major is the most well-known of the sixteen harpsichord suites left by Händel, himself a keyboard virtuoso. Its fame comes from the suite’s theme and variations final movement, known as, “The Harmonious Blacksmith.”
Brahms was fascinated by the variation genre and used it widely. His Variations on a Theme of Händel, Op. 24 are considered to be his greatest achievement in the genre, with its rigorous construction and creativity of imagination.
Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13 conceal behind their title a theme and its twelve variations. A work of masterly architecture and orchestral sonorities, and of extreme virtuosity, it plays out as a dramatic crescendo, from an initial funeral march to a victorious march.