Abegg Variations, Op. 1 - Piano

Who was Pauline, Countess of Abegg, the dedicatee of the first edition? Nowadays it is known that the matter revolves around a romantic mystification of the name of Meta Abegg, a friend from Schumann's youth, whose surname inspired Schumann to a theme on A-B-E-G-G (A-Bb-E-G-G). The rewarding and sparkling piece (as it was described by a critic of the time) makes high technical demands, but is distinguished by a youthful freshness and ingenious virtuosity. As shown by the opus number, this is the first of Schumann's works which he deemed worthy of publication. This thoroughly-revised musical text is complemented by an informative preface and detailed commentary.