Variations on a Theme by Corelli, played by Colin Horsley (piano)
This set of twenty Variations on a Theme by Corelli, written in the summer of 1932 and dedicated to Fritz Kreisler. is one of the most important of the late Sergei Rachmaninoff 's more recent works. Several of the Variations foreshadow others in the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for piano. and orchestra. The theme is not actually by Corelli but is 'the famous sixteenth-century Portuguese dance tune, known as ' La Folia ', or , ' Folies d'Espagne '. on which Corelli himself wrote a celebrated set of variations. The tune has also been used by Vivaldi, Lully, Pergolesi. Bach. Gretry. and Cherubini.