The Merry Peasant, Humorous variations on a theme by Robert Schumann in various styles from Bach to Liszt, piano

Der fröhliche Landmann, Humoristische Variationen über ein Thema von Robert Schumann in verschiedenen Stilarten von Bach bis Liszt

The fun and fascination with disguising oneself to be someone else for a moment has been expressed many times in music through compositions such as Un ballo in maschera, Masquerade or Carnaval. In the humorous variations on a theme of Robert Schumann, Peter Wittrich lets the Fröhliche Landmann [Happy Peasant] slip into different roles and sets out with him on a journey through time from the Baroque to the modern era. In ten variations, Wittrich makes the Landmann familiar with the different styles and famous themes of the music epochs by treating Robert Schumann's popular theme contrapuntally in the sense of Bach, imposing Mozart's sonata form on it or letting the Landmann dance a proud polonaise with Frédéric Chopin. Der fröhliche Landmann also becomes a jazz pianist and improvises with Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Petersen in a blues sound before he indulges, in a Grand finale, in the brilliant virtuosity of the 19th century together with Tchaikovsky, Liszt and Rachmaninov. Apart from performing the entire work, individual variations can be arranged in small cycles according to preferences in style, e.g. for Jugend musiziert, or counter-posed against the original work. A fresh and entertaining contribution to the Schumann Year 2010.

CONTENIDO:

Contrapuntal Exercises based on Bach-Prelude and Fugue
Your True friend W.A. Mozart
Forestan amr in arm with Chopin
Hungarian tribute to Bartók with one of Kurtág's flowers
Viennese medley
Eusebius and Fritz Kreisler in a (Viennese) woodland scene
Bobert, keep on groovin
New ways ahead for the Merry Peasant
Clowning tête-à-tête with Claude
Carnival scenes from Rio
Grand final brillant