View source for Variations on a Theme of Corelli


[[File:Rachmaninoff Corelli theme.JPG|thumb|300px|Rachmaninoff Corelli theme]]

'''Variations on a Theme of Corelli''' ({{lang-ru|Вариации на тему А. Корелли}}, ''Variatsii na temu A. Korelli''), [[Opus number|Op]]. 42, is a set of variations for solo piano, written in 1931 by the Russian composer [[Sergei Rachmaninoff]]. He composed the variations at his holiday home in Switzerland.

The theme is ''[[Folia|La Folia]]'', which was not in fact composed by [[Arcangelo Corelli]], but was used by him in 1700 as the basis for 23 variations in his Sonata for [[violin]] and [[Basso continuo|continuo]] ([[violone]] and/or [[harpsichord]]) in D minor, Op. 5, No. 12. ''La Folia'' was popularly used as the basis for variations in [[Baroque music]]. [[Franz Liszt]] used the same theme in his ''[[Rhapsodie espagnole (Liszt)|Rhapsodie espagnole]]'' S. 254 (1863).

Rachmaninoff dedicated the work to his friend, the violinist [[Fritz Kreisler]]. He wrote to another friend, the composer [[Nikolai Medtner]], on 21 December 1931:<ref>R.D. Darrell, Liner notes to VOX SVBX 5456, ''Rachmaninoff: Piano Music, Volume 1'', [[Michael Ponti]], pianist</ref> 
<blockquote> I've played the Variations about fifteen times, but of these fifteen performances only one was good. The others were sloppy. I can't play my own compositions! And it's so boring! Not once have I played these all in continuity. I was guided by the coughing of the audience. Whenever the coughing would increase, I would skip the next variation. Whenever there was no coughing, I would play them in proper order. In one concert, I don't remember where - some small town - the coughing was so violent that I played only ten variations (out of 20). My best record was set in New York, where I played 18 variations. However, I hope that ''you'' will play all of them, and won't "cough".</blockquote>

Rachmaninoff recorded many of his own works, but this piece wasn't one of them.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sergei Rachmaninoff |url=https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/index.php/mastertalent/detail/102117/Rachmaninoff_Sergei?Matrix_page=100000 |access-date=2023-10-25 |website=Discography of American Historical Recordings}}</ref>

==Structure==
The Theme is followed by 20 variations, an Intermezzo between variations 13 and 14, and a Coda to finish. All variations are in [[D minor]] except where noted.

*Theme. Andante
*Variation 1. Poco piu mosso
*Variation 2. L'istesso tempo
*Variation 3. Tempo di Minuetto
*Variation 4. Andante
*Variation 5. Allegro (ma non tanto)
*Variation 6. L'istesso tempo
*Variation 7. Vivace
*Variation 8. Adagio misterioso
*Variation 9. Un poco piu mosso
*Variation 10. Allegro scherzando
*Variation 11. Allegro vivace
*Variation 12. L'istesso tempo
*Variation 13. Agitato
*Intermezzo
*Variation 14. Andante (come prima) (D{{music|b}} major)
*Variation 15. L'istesso tempo (D{{music|b}} major)
*Variation 16. Allegro vivace
*Variation 17. Meno mosso
*Variation 18. Allegro con brio
*Variation 19. Piu mosso. Agitato
*Variation 20. Piu mosso
*Coda. Andante

==See also==
* [[List of variations on a theme by another composer]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMSLP|work=Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op.42 (Rachmaninoff, Sergei)|cname=Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42}}
* {{in lang|ru}} [http://www.piano.ru/rah.html Piano.ru - Sheet music download]
* {{in lang|ru}} [http://classic.chubrik.ru/Rachmaninov/ Chubrik.ru - Audio download]

{{Sergei Rachmaninoff}}
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[[Category:Compositions for solo piano]]
[[Category:Piano music by Sergei Rachmaninoff]]
[[Category:1931 compositions]]
[[Category:Variations|Corelli]]
[[Category:Composer tributes (classical music)]]


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