Song of the Day: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff, borrows its foundational theme from Paganini‘s “24 Caprices for Solo Violin“, specifically No. 24 in A minor. Brahms wrote his own set of variations in 1863. This concertante work features twenty-four variations on the twenty-fourth and last of Paganini’s caprices. So many of the world’s finest pianists have performed this work, but the composer himself was the featured pianist on the original 1934 recording with the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Leopold Stokowski. On this date in 1873, Rachmaninoff was born (according to the Gregorian dating system). Check out that original recording, as well as a popular rendering of Variation 18 as heard in the 1980 romantic fantasy drama, “Somewhere in Time” [YouTube links].
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