Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel played by SOLOMON (pianoforte)
In addition to the Variations on a Theme by Haydn and various movements in variation form, Brahms wrote a set for piano duet, Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann , and five sets for piano solo. Among the last mentioned is the Variations on a Theme by Handel, which is Brahms's crowning achievement in variation form. The Handel Variations were composed in 1861 when Brahms was conductor of the Hamburg Ladies' Choir. The theme is taken from the Little Suite in B flat in the second set of Handel's harpsichord pieces.
In these twenty-five variations the immense technical resources and great imagination of the composer are shown to the full by the wonderful variety of treatment and expressiveness that are secured within the strict limitations of the form. The finale is a masterly and imposing fugue that reaches a superb climax of power and ingenuity. The work as a whole is extremely difficult to play and demands considerable physical strength. Clara Schumann confessed to some friends in London that ' I cannot say how sorry I am that the Variations, about which I am so enthusiastic, are beyond my strength.'