In the variations and the études he's connecting the Romanticism of Europe to something American, like Gershwin and cool show tunes.
In the variations that follow, the composer, like some quick-change artist, might toy with, transform or comment on the theme; mock it or adorn it with embellishment; fracture it and reassemble the pieces.
Delightful as all this sounds, it is in the variations that this recipe really shines.
Tells up and down variations in the variations and state of his business.
It was fascinating to see the mix of fastidious and freewheeling penmanship in the variations.
He emphasized the contrasts in the variations, as Brahms turns Handel's fussily ornamented Baroque tune into a Gypsy dance, a rigorous canon, a siciliano and whatnot.
But there was a measure of poetry in Mr. Lang's playing, particularly in the variations that make up the second movement.
The third species, the rattling cisticola, fell between the other two in its ability to discriminate and in the variations of its egg colors.
Among other exceptional pianists at work here are Pierre-Laurent Aimard, in the quartet with saxophone and the concerto, and Krystian Zimerman, in the Variations (Op. 27) and two other pieces.
The instrumental writing in the variations is as beautifully crafted as ever, built upon a rotating sequence of four chords and creating a fast-slow-fast scheme, with the movements getting progressively shorter.
As in the variations certain aspects of the work seemed clearer than usual, including the almost Bachian quality at the start of the last movement and the sheer grandeur of the Scherzo.
