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PROGRAM NOTE
The "Variations on a Theme by Paganini" (Polish: Wariacje na temat Paganiniego), often referred to as the "Paganini Variations", is an arrangement for two pianos of Niccolò Paganini's Caprice No. 24, from Paganini's original set of 24 Caprices for violin, written by Polish composer Witold Lutosławski. The arrangement, originally composed in 1941, was later re-arranged for piano and orchestra in 1978.
This original piece, however, is a distorted approach to that work. It is a brand new personal twisted and curled version of Lutosławski's music, as though his art were reflected through a broken mirror.
The practice of revisiting, recreating, and reinterpreting historical works stems from my admiration for Pablo Picasso’s Las Meninas, itself conceived in dialogue with Diego Velázquez’s masterpiece. The much-cited phrase attributed to Picasso—“Good artists copy, great artists steal”—captures a philosophy of creative adaptation and transformation: not imitation, but the absorption and reconfiguration of existing works so they may re-emerge as something both personal and new. In this sense, transformation becomes a key to innovation, grounded in a deep and active engagement with artistic heritage.
The "Variations on a Theme by Paganini" (Polish: Wariacje na temat Paganiniego), often referred to as the "Paganini Variations", is an arrangement for two pianos of Niccolò Paganini's Caprice No. 24, from Paganini's original set of 24 Caprices for violin, written by Polish composer Witold Lutosławski. The arrangement, originally composed in 1941, was later re-arranged for piano and orchestra in 1978.
This original piece, however, is a distorted approach to that work. It is a brand new personal twisted and curled version of Lutosławski's music, as though his art were reflected through a broken mirror.
The practice of revisiting, recreating, and reinterpreting historical works stems from my admiration for Pablo Picasso’s Las Meninas, itself conceived in dialogue with Diego Velázquez’s masterpiece. The much-cited phrase attributed to Picasso—“Good artists copy, great artists steal”—captures a philosophy of creative adaptation and transformation: not imitation, but the absorption and reconfiguration of existing works so they may re-emerge as something both personal and new. In this sense, transformation becomes a key to innovation, grounded in a deep and active engagement with artistic heritage.
Albert CARBONELL - PAGANINI VARIATIONS (for two pianos).pdfGoogle Sites
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