The theme for this piece, Paganini's *Caprice No. 24* from *24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1* in itself is a Caprice. Its clarity, paired with its rich emotional depth, leaves no room for doubt about its brilliance, inspiring many later composers to create new sets of variations based on the same theme. One of the earliest such descendants is Liszt's *?tudes d'ex?cution transcendante d'apr?s Paganini*, a piano composition deeply influenced by Paganini's own performances. Due to the masterpiece status of Liszt's work, composers who followed had to approach this theme with awareness of his influence and often with a sense of challenge. Some of the most notable works include Brahms' *Variations on a Theme of Paganini* for piano, Lutoskawski's *Paganini Variations* (originally for solo piano and later reworked for piano and orchestra), and Blacher's *Paganini Variations* for orchestra. Each of these compositions is regarded as a masterpiece in its own right.
Composed in 1934, Rachmaninoff's (1873-1943) *Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini* is a highly modern piece in musical terms, though it doesn't approach the avant-garde nature of works by Lutoskawski or Blacher. It is filled with Rachmaninoff's signature romanticism and stands as perhaps the most well-known of the various *Paganini Variations*. The original is written in the style of a piano concerto, comprising a theme and 24 variations. This wind band arrangement extracts the theme, the first variation (which appears as a "preliminary variation" before the theme), as well as the 8th, 10th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 18th, and 24th variations (including the coda).
When the idea for this arrangement was proposed by Mr. Tomoki Ubata of Saitama Prefectural Inagakuen Comprehensive Upper Secondary School, he likely had doubts about whether a piano concerto could truly be transformed into a wind band piece. I shared his uncertainty. Even before I revisited the orchestral score, I anticipated the many challenges this adaptation would present. However, I decided to take on this foolhardy challenge of removing the solo instrument and recreating the charm of the work using only the ensemble. What convinced me was Mr. Ubata's comment that "this piece won't leave my head." As a composer, rather than just an arranger, I felt compelled to explore what makes a piece that so captures the hearts of listeners.Over a decade ago, I arranged Blacher's *Variations on a Theme of Paganini* for wind band. I was intrigued by the comparison between two pieces based on the same theme but written in vastly different styles.
For the performance, there is no need to search for the original piano part. While there are moments where it is clearly identifiable, much of it has melted into the music, with its original form largely lost. This was the goal of the arrangement. Rather than focusing on how the original was composed, I hope performers will think about the kind of sound we aim to achieve through the medium of wind band.
(Kazuhiro Morita)
