Conferência – Variações sobre a Variação

The term «variations» refers both to a compositional technique cultivated across different contexts and musical styles, and to a musical genre in its own right, based on that same technique. At its origin, the art of variation consists of a play between repetition and difference, rooted in ancient rhetorical principles designed to reinforce and diversify expression — in common language, the art of «saying the same thing in other words.» In a specifically musical sense, the principle of variation has inspired composers of all eras, fostering the invention of ever-new formulations of a single musical idea. In this lecture, richly illustrated with audiovisual materials, different examples of the art of musical variation will be explored in a historical overview spanning from the 16th century to the present day.

This lecture takes place in conjunction with the piano recital Goldberg Variations by Bach, performed by Pedro Burmester, on 30 January at 20:00.