One of Dvořák’s most beloved melodies is the “Song to the Moon” from his opera Rusalka. The song is in two parts, the first tender and simple with the second marked by soaring Romanticism, and it was the vision of flautist Eugenia Moliner that this melody could form the basis for a large-scale set of variations for flute and piano. In my Variations on Dvořák’s “Song to the Moon”, I have tried to stay generally in keeping with Dvořák’s style, drawing on some musical material from Rusalka as well as using several other works by Dvořák for inspiration. Set as an introduction, theme and seven variations, the work takes both performers and listeners on a virtuosic journey exploring different aspects of the theme before returning to a final statement of the song melody and concluding climactic coda. The work was commissioned by Eugenia Moliner, and is dedicated to her with great admiration.
