Theme and Variations

Themes and variations are a simple way of creating a big piece of music out of just one melody. But in the hands of a great composer, this idea can become rich and subtle music. With references to Handel and Beethoven, Leonard Slatkin finds out how Rachmaninov manipulates the theme in his work 'Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini'. The programme ends with a complete performance of the work - the classic recording by Vladimir Ashkenazy and Andre Previn with the LSO.