Although more dissonant than any work heard so far, I think the structure of Crumb's Gnomic Variations is better defined than many others. Each variation is noticeably different in rhythm and timbre, and the relationship to the original theme is not so distant if you listen a few times.

Needless to say, the use of texture is far different from what this pianist is used to playing; the damper pedal is not the ultimate shift but merely a gateway to, frankly, crazy manipulation. It seems like it would be very difficult to alternate between all the special techniques used in succession.

As with the Goldberg variations, there is a larger structure beyond the theme and variations: the silences between some variations is much more pronounced than others, and generally lead to more diverse explorations than the short silences. There is some similarity between the variations in each group, but unfamiliar as I am with these sorts of sounds I don't think I can elaborate without contradicting the very real differences.

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