Program Note:

Commissioned by Ralph Berkowitz, composer, longtime accompanist of Piatigorsky and former Dean of the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, the variations were written slowly—mainly on the road—over the course of several years. The theme is four notes long and consists of Hagen’s initials, plus a final Bb for Berkowitz: D-A-B(H)-Bb. The first three variations were written in Austin, Texas, during the first production there of Hagen's opera Bandanna. Variations 4-6 were composed at Yaddo, and the last two variations were completed in New York City in November 2002. Presented to Berkowitz on his 90th birthday, they were given their concert premiere by Marc Peloquin in June 2005 at the Bloomingdale School of Music in New York City. The variations, expanded, with orchestral accompaniment, form the musical basis of the first movement of Hagen’s Piano Concerto No. 1.