Leader, BERTRAM LEWIS
Conductor, RICHARD AUSTIN
Solo pianoforte, IRENE SCHARRER
Relayed from the Pavilion, Bournemouth (Soloist, IRENE SCHARRER> )
Cesar Franck 's Symphonic Variations for piano and orchestra was composed in 1885. and given its first performance in the following year by the Société Nationale de Musique. It is certainly one of the most beautiful of Franck's works, written as it is with the utmost clarity of style and purity of thought and of colour. The form of the variations is interesting in that it is treated cyclically. Although in one continuous movement, the music falls into ten distinct sections: Introduction, statement of theme and six variations, Interlude, and Finale.
On the entry of the piano in the Introduction (poco allegro), the cyclic theme is heard. Later on the time changes into an allegretto quasi andante, and after a few bars the piano gives out a second theme upon which the six variations are built. The last variation ends with the playing of a repeated arpeggio that leads into the Interlude, one of the most beautiful sections of the work, based on the opening theme which is given to muted strings. The final section is a brilliant. piece of music, in which the opening cyclic theme and the theme of the variations are treated together.
3 (Soloist, IRENE SCHARRER> )