variations on themes by alfred schnittke

My Variations on Themes by Alfred Schnittke is a set of piano variations incorporating three themes from the third movement of Alfred Schnittke's Violin Concerto No. 1. Introduced to Schnittke's music some time ago, I often thought of writing a set of variations on one of his themes. Schnittke frequently quoted earlier music in his compositions, and quoting him in a new theme and variations seemed quite fitting.

Aside from its formal components, my variations employ wide dynamic and stylistic contrasts, which suddenly change in the course of a single variation. The work serves as an homage to the Schnittke, who often employed these sharp contrasts in his many remarkable compositions.