We return this month to another set of variations by the variation master, Johannes Brahms. This month it's the greatest example of "variations on some other theme" (Cf. the PDQ Bach from a few months ago), or, at least, variations on a theme not by the proposed composer: yes, it's the Variations on a Theme not by Haydn.

Well, despite this little bit of trivia, this is a lovely work. It's certainly one of my favorite Brahms orchestral works. I think one of the things that makes it, for me, is that the orchestration, in general, is not as bottom-heavy as we are used to hearing in Brahms.