As I noted in another thread, the Russian Tradition of theme-and-variations treated to extended forms using chamber forces can be quite compelling. I can think of two off the top of my head (and I'm in Beijing so I don't have access to my entire collection).
Goldenweiser - Piano Trio in e minor, op 31 (in one movement) - simply one of the most hauntingly beautiful themes and treatment I've ever heard.
Rachmaninoff - String Quartet in g minor, 2nd movement (Andante molto sostenuto en c minor), theme and variations (about 16 minutes).
Are there any others this group can think of?
besides Tchaikovski's, Arensky's and Taneiev's (in his case somewhat less) reasonably-famous examples? (Well, with Taneiev I'm thinking mostly of the concert suite (not chamber, true), though that's not the only example- 3rd quartet finale, Passacaglia of the piano quintet...) Hrm. ...
(Russian-_influenced_ in sound and soul maybe :) - Stenhammar, 3rd and 4th quartets :D ...)
Glazunov:
Theme et Variation from his Sixth Symphony (1896)
Theme et Variation from his Suite for String Quartet (1887-1891) and String Quartet no. VI (1920-1921)
Theme and Variations in F-sharp minor for piano "On a Finnish Folksong" (1900)
->Like Dohnanyi, Glazunov is superb in variation form.
Myaskovsky:
Theme et Variations for Strings (from the last movement of his Third String Quartet).
"Simple Variations", lyric suite in D major for piano.
Medtner:
Theme et Variations from his Violin Sonata no. II
Artur Kapp:
(Estonian, but highly influenced by Rimsky-Korsakov earlier on)
Theme and Variations finale from his First Symphony (excellent).
Theme and Variations third movement from his Second Symphony (likewise excellent).
Medtner: second improvisation (in the form of a theme and variations), for piano :) (there's a good big piece, and a good piece, too, I believe.)
Quote from: eschiss1 on Wednesday 30 October 2013, 01:50
Medtner: second improvisation (in the form of a theme and variations), for piano :) (there's a good big piece, and a good piece, too, I believe.)
You're right. I forgot about that. There's also Rachmaninoff; Quasi variazione from Trio Elegiaque in d as well as Variations on a Theme of Corelli (1931).