Happy-Birthday-Variationen Peter Heidrich

Klavier zu 4 Händen
Spielpartitur

Bearbeiter: Lanaro, Mario Giuseppe
Donadoni, Federico

Thema und 14 Variationen über die Melodie von
Mildred J. Hill

Inhaltsverzeichnis:
Thema (Theme)
Variation I nach / after Johann Sebastian Bach
Variation II nach / after Joseph Haydn
Variation III nach / after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Variation IV nach / after Ludwig van Beethoven
Variation V nach / after Robert Schumann
Variation VI nach / after Johannes Brahms
Variation VII nach / after Richard Wagner
Variation VIII nach / after Antonin Dvorak
Variation IX nach / after Max Reger
Variation X im Wienerischen Stil / in Viennese Style
Variation XI im Stil von Filmmusik / in the Style of Film Music
Variation XII im Jazz-Stil / in Jazz Style
Variation XIII im Stil von Tanzmusik / in the Style of Dance Music
Variation XIV im ungarischen Stil / in Hungarian Style

Peter Heidrich's 'Happy Birthday Variations' for string quartet, composed a while ago on a whim and continually improved in special ways ever since, is a classic in our catalogues. The work, in which Heidrich varied the famous melody in the styles of composers of all epochs, meanwhile exists in orchestrated versions which are often performed on many occasions. The arrangers Mario Lanaro and Federico Donadoni have now adapted the fourteen variations of the original string quartet version for piano four-hands. In order to provide their project with still more perspectives, the authors selected brief, motto-like sayings for their congenial adaptation, one of which precedes each individual variation. For example, there are witty mottos such as 'A Decent Piece of Cake for Brahms,' 'This Is How Reger Likes It' and '...Not Only Rules, Dear Schumann ...'. There are even a jazz variation and an homage to the music-dramatist Richard Wagner among them. If Lanaro and Donadoni had their way, the pianists would appear on stage with a cake and a burning birthday candle. Now that would be a celebration!