Eleven Piano Variations on Elgar's Violoncello Concerto's First Movement's Theme

Eleven Piano Variations on Elgar's Violoncello Concerto's First Movement's Theme.mp3

This is my 3rd set of variations for solo piano. I composed it as my entry in the YC Fall competition. The theme is Elgar's Violoncello Concerto's (Op. 95), first movement's first theme.

I chose this theme because it was the first to come to my mind when I was thinking about what theme to choose. I chose it also because it is very memorable, reflective, and sad. I consider it to be one of the greatest themes ever composed.

I chose the piano as the instrument to compose for, because Elgar had already done a great job with the violoncello and strings in the treatment of this theme. So I decided to take the opposite approach and treat it with a keyboard instrument instead. I also had composed two of my previous sets of variations for piano. So the piano was a natural choice.

This is the link to the theme on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_Xg7JZcyIk&t=1m17s

i like this, thank you for sharing.

i felt the song could have been played with more emotion and fluidity.

i listened to the violoncello version after listening to this and found the fluidity and emotion i was looking for.

my critique has no theoretical basis and i am in no way knowledgable;; in fact, quite the contrary//

blisses,

bleum.

You chose a theme that I would have found intimidating. The sheer amount of variations you wrote is remarkable, though I guess necessary since you favor a very brief form of expression. I guess I'd have to pick the sixth one as my favorite. I like the simple melody over chords. Good luck luderart!

Thanks Bleum and KJ for your reviews.

KJ, indeed, on paper it should have been intimidating to compose variations on such a great theme. But I think that the theme is seminal. And anyway, composing variations on a great theme was what appealed more to me than doing so on a more ordinary theme. Thanks for the wish.