Variations on a Nursery Tune (Dohnányi)

Subtitled For the enjoyment of humorous people and for the annoyance of others, Ernő Dohnányi's Variations on a Nursery Tune, Op. 25 is probably his best-known work. Written in 1914 for piano and orchestra, it captures the spirit of Romanticism, and manages to delight and enthral in its sparkling piano writing and lush orchestral textures, and its wit in the treatment of the theme – the French nursery song Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman, otherwise known as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

The Variations on a Nursery Tune consists of an Introduction and Theme, 13 Variations and a Coda. The Introduction is firmly Wagnerian in its writing, dripping with faux pathos, brasses blaring and strings thick and dense; too Wagnerian to be true. The outline of the theme appears indistinctly but unmistakably in the horns, a hint of what is to come. After a long drawn-out conclusion which grows ever quieter while continually building the tension, we have a belch from the orchestra and a pregnant pause, followed by a quiet restatement of the theme on the piano accompanied by pizzicato strings.

What follows is a delightfully witty, artful set of variations ranging from the innocent first variation to the romantic third variation, the scurrying 6th variation, the boisterous, overcooked waltz in the 7th variation and the pathos-laden 10th variation which alludes to the Wagnerian opening. Fascinatingly, Dohnányi treats the piano and orchestra as equals – every instrument is given its chance to shine. Perhaps what makes this work so enduring is Dohnányi's skill in transforming his theme into totally different creatures for so many variations.

The piece is particularly rewarding for the knowledgeable music lover, too. Dohnányi alludes to many different works, or composers, in this gem of a piece. For instance, variation 8 suggests the march from the second movement of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 2. Debussy is alluded to, with the ethereal harmonies of the 11th variation. Dohnányi ruthlessly pokes fun at nearly every composer his audience of 1914 would have been familiar with.