Variationen mit Haydn op. 85

The President of the German Bundestag, Norbert Lammert, asked me to compose a piano work which should relate to the German anthem and was to be performed for the first time on the occasion of his retirement from political activities in autumn 2017. The title Variationen mit Haydn [Variations with Haydn] illustrates that Haydn's own variations on his hymn are part of the work, yet are modified immediately upon appearance.

The piece consists of the theme as set by Haydn, four groups of four variations each, with the first of each variation being audibly close to Haydn, while the others gradually move farther away from him. The theme reappears in the coda very softly and pensively – damaged, yet not broken. Stefan Heucke