Rob writes:
The first thing that struck me about the theme was that it had a lot more ornamentation and character to it than I had expected from a theme, i.e. before any variations. As for the variations, I noticed a general trend that when a couple of consecutive variations had a fast-tempo or a "busy" quality, there was always a sudden back off into a slower and spacier variation to follow. Examples of this can be seen by comparing variations 12 and 13, and variations 20 and 21. Also, Bach seems to have liked every once in a while throwing in a more minor-sounding variation, and then coming out of it with a very "stately", very grounded-in-the-major one. During the first variation, I was thinking to myself that I had already forgotten the theme. Then, for a moment when variation 2 kicked in, I could recall the sound of the theme, but that was the last time until the reiteration at the very end of the whole piece. It didn't seem like one variation was very much related to the others, but I'm sure it's just a case in which there is a lot more going on than I could tell without really studying the music. Despite that, however, I really enjoyed most of the variations. Some of my favorites were var. 7 -- which I thought sounded like a sailor's "ditty" or something like that, var. 25 -- which was just really interesting harmonically, and var. 29 -- which I described in my notes as "very powerful stuff".
The opening motive didn't surprise me as I knew the tune, recognized the almost rococo ornament style, and picked up on the bass line that had been pointed out in class. Nevertheless, it's hardly something I'd imagine if tasked with writing a basis for 30 upcoming variations.
I definitely agree that the macroscopic changes give the work some structure. Those with scores and/or attentive ears can hear the canons arriving as expected, but there is another grouping at work that bears little relation to the "obvious" groups of three: to the casual listener the major differences are between tempi and mode, and Bach varies these just as surely as he does the counterpoint.
I'm glad variation 25 was mentioned. Listening to all the suspensions in the melody, the harmonies underneath, and the figuration in the right hand, it's hard to believe this work predates Liszt and Chopin by over 100 years. Sheer genius. It does make me want to seek out a piano recording instead of the (fine, but limited) Leonhart performance.
Speaking of variations predating Romantic composers, number 29 makes me think of Beethoven, e.g. the early piano sonata in C whose opus I forget. The adjacent chords play into this, obviously, but even some of the running passages sound like those of another era.
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