Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart
Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart | |
---|---|
by Max Reger | |
Opus | 132 |
Composed | 1914 |
Performed | 5 February 1915 |
Scoring | orchestra |
The Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart, Op. 132, is a set of variations for orchestra composed in 1914 by Max Reger; the composer conducted the premiere in Berlin on 5 February 1915. He later produced a version for two pianos, Op. 132a, where the Variation 8 ("Moderato") is completely different.
Description
The
Movements
The work, which takes about 33 minutes to perform, consists of the following movements:
It is scored for
Critical reaction
This remains the composer's most popular and most-recorded orchestral work, although during the later 20th century it largely disappeared from the concert hall.[1] It has obvious antecedents in Johannes Brahms' Variations on a Theme by Haydn both in terms of the inspiration theme (both draw from a simple melodic phrase) and the subsequent style of variation. Many critics, however, have remained lukewarm to the piece as little more than Brahmsian pastiche.[2]
See also
References
Notes
- ^ Reinhold Brinkmann, "Max Reger und die Neue Musik," in Max Reger, 1873–1973: Ein Symposion (Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1974), pp. 87f.
- ISSN 0027-4631.
Sources
- David Ewen, Encyclopedia of Concert Music. New York; Hill and Wang, 1959.