Main content

Themes and Variations

Tom Service explores the endless potential of musical variations on a theme.

Tom Service explores the endless potential of musical variations on a theme. On the one hand it's the simplest of all musical ideas - take a basic tune and play around with it - and yet on the other, it's a deeply profound reflection of life, as small sequences of musical DNA provide the building blocks for structures of ever increasing complexity.

Available now

29 minutes

Last on

Fri 23 Jul 2021 16:30
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3

More episodes

Previous

Money Makes the Music Go Round

Next

Fiddles and Fiddle Tunes

See all episodes from The Listening Service

Music Played

  • Richard Blackford

    The Great animal orchestra; Introduction and Tuning

    Conductor: Martyn Brabbins. Performer: ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ National Orchestra of Wales.
    • Nimbus.
    • NI6274.

  • Benjamin Britten

    The Young person's guide to the orchestra; Fugue

    Conductor: Sir Andrew Davis. Performer: ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Symphony Orchestra.
    • Teldec.
    • 9031731262.

  • Richard Rodgers

    My favourite things [from 'The Sound of Music']

    Performer: Elvin Jones. Performer: John Coltrane. Performer: McCoy Tyner. Performer: Steve Davis.
    • Atlantic.
    • 7567-81346-2.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Theme

    Performer: Lang Lang.
    • DG.
    • 4797528.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Diabelli Variations; Variation 6

    Performer: LlΕ·r Williams.
    • Signum Classics.
    • SIGCD527.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 1

    Performer: Lang Lang.
    • DG.
    • 4797528.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 2

    Performer: Lang Lang.
    • DG.
    • 4797528.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 3

    Performer: Lang Lang.
    • DG.
    • 4797528.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    112 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 4

    Performer: Lang Lang.
    • DG.
    • 4797528.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 6

    Performer: Lang Lang.
    • DG.
    • 4797528.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 7

    Performer: Lang Lang.
    • DG.
    • 4797528.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 8

    Performer: Lang Lang.
    • DG.
    • 4797528.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 9

    Performer: Lang Lang.
    • DG.
    • 4797528.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 11

    Performer: Lang Lang.
    • DG.
    • 4797528.

  • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    12 Variations on 'Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' K.265; Variation 12

    Performer: Lang Lang.
    • DG.
    • 4797528.

  • Richard Rodgers

    My favourite things [from 'The Sound of Music']

    Performer: Julie Andrews.
    • RCA.
    • 07863 66587-2.

  • Johannes Brahms

    25 Variations and fugue on a theme by G F Handel Op.24

    Performer: Murray Perahia.
    • Sony Classical.
    • 88697727252.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    5 Variations on 'Rule Britannia' in D major WoO.79

    Performer: CΓ©dric Tiberghien.
    • Harmonia Mundi.
    • HMC901775.

  • Andrew Lloyd Webber

    Variations

    Performer: Barbara Thompson. Performer: Don Airey. Performer: Gary Moore. Performer: John Mole. Performer: Jon Hiseman. Performer: Julian Lloyd Webber. Performer: Rod Argent.
    • MCA Records.
    • DMCL 1816.

  • Nicola Matteis

    Variations on La Folia

    Performer: ThΓ©otime Langlois de Swarte. Performer: Thomas Dunford.
    • Harmonia Mundi.
    • 902305DI.

  • Antonio Vivaldi

    Trio sonata in D minor RV.63, Op.1`12 (La Follia) for 2 violins and continuo

    Performer: Hespèrion XXI.
    • Alia Vox.
    • AV9844.

  • Sergey Rachmaninov

    Variations on a theme of Corelli Op.42

    Performer: Howard Shelley.
    • Hyperion.
    • CDA66009.

  • Antonio Salieri

    24 Variations on 'La Folia di Spagnia'

    Conductor: Matthias Bamert. Performer: London Mozart Players.
    • CHANDOS.
    • CHAN 9877.

  • Max Richter

    Three worlds - music from Woolf Works

    Conductor: Robert Ziegler. Performer: Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg.
    • DG.
    • 4797158.

  • Johannes Brahms

    Variations on a theme by Haydn Op.56a

    Conductor: Riccardo Chailly. Performer: Gewandhausorchester Leipzig.
    • Decca.
    • 478-7471.

  • Frederic Rzewski

    Variations on "The People United will Never be Defeated"; Final Variation

    Performer: Igor Levit.
    • SONY.
    • 88875060962.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Diabelli Variations; Theme

    Performer: LlΕ·r Williams.
    • Signum Classics.
    • SIGCD527.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Diabelli Variations; Variation 1

    Performer: LlΕ·r Williams.
    • Signum Classics.
    • SIGCD527.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Diabelli Variations; Variation 6

    Performer: LlΕ·r Williams.
    • Signum Classics.
    • SIGCD527.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Diabelli Variations; Variation 10

    Performer: LlΕ·r Williams.
    • Signum Classics.
    • SIGCD527.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Diabelli Variations; Variation 12

    Performer: LlΕ·r Williams.
    • Signum Classics.
    • SIGCD527.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Diabelli Variations; Variation 13

    Performer: LlΕ·r Williams.
    • Signum Classics.
    • SIGCD527.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Diabelli Variations; Variation 20

    Performer: LlΕ·r Williams.
    • Signum Classics.
    • SIGCD527.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Diabelli Variations; Variation 21

    Performer: LlΕ·r Williams.
    • Signum Classics.
    • SIGCD527.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Diabelli Variations; Variation 22

    Performer: LlΕ·r Williams.
    • Signum Classics.
    • SIGCD527.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Diabelli Variations; Variation 31

    Performer: LlΕ·r Williams.
    • Signum Classics.
    • SIGCD527.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Diabelli Variations; Variation 32

    Performer: LlΕ·r Williams.
    • Signum Classics.
    • SIGCD527.

  • Ludwig van Beethoven

    Diabelli Variations; Variation 33

    Performer: LlΕ·r Williams.
    • Signum Classics.
    • SIGCD527.

Broadcasts

  • Sun 18 Jul 2021 17:00
    ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3
  • Fri 23 Jul 2021 16:30
    ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 3

Why do we call it 'classical' music?

Tom Service poses a very simple question (with a not-so-simple answer).

Six of the world's most extreme voices

From babies to Mongolian throat singers: whose voice is the most extreme of all?

How did the number 12 revolutionise music?

How did the number 12 revolutionise music?

How Schoenberg opened a new cosmos for composers and listeners to explore.

Why are we all addicted to bass?

Why are we all addicted to bass?

Bass is everywhere, but why do we enjoy it? Join Tom Service on a journey of discovery.

Watch the animations

Join Tom Service on a musical journey through beginnings, repetition and bass lines.

When does noise become music?

We like to think we can separate β€œnoise” from β€œmusic”, but is it that simple?

Podcast