The third movement (Aria con variazioni) from George Frideric Handel's 'Suites de pièces pour le clavecin, Vol. 2' (HWV 434). A poised, symmetrical 8-bar Baroque aria adorned with delicate ornamentation.
Composed in 1861 by a 28-year-old Johannes Brahms and dedicated to Clara Schumann. Brahms took Handel's galant theme and forged 25 rigorous variations culminating in a colossal final fugue, demonstrating that classical counterpoint remained a vital modern force.
A monumental fusion of Baroque elegance and Romantic symphonic density, transforming Handel's graceful aria into 25 dynamic character variations and an awe-inspiring master fugue.