David Starobin's Variations On A Theme By Carl Nielsen for Guitar (2010).
Premiered by David Starobin at the Carl Nielsen Hall, Odense
4 June, 2011.
This short set of variations for solo guitar is based on Carl Nielsen’s Sang bag Ploven (Song Behind the Plow), originally a song for voice and piano from Nielsen’s opus 10, first published in 1899. The original Danish text is by Nielsen’s contemporary and friend, the poet Ludvig Holstein.
The piece is a personal celebration of my love affair with Danish
music and musicians, and the composition is dedicated to my friend, the composer William Bland.
David Starobin, August, 2010