This is an unusual piece in that virtuoso pianist Horowitz wrote this set of variations but kept the score to himself. He performed it on concert tours, of course, showed it to a few acquaintances, and made a piano roll of it, but he apparently had no desire to see it published. Pianist Arcadi Volodos made a version of it (with some changes) by listening to Horowitz's recordings of the work. Musicologist Stephen Husarik also made an edition of the score from the piano roll. Horowitz uses the Act II Gypsy song from Carmen as a springboard for his variations. The music is extremely challenging to the pianist, sounding like a mixture of Liszt, Balakirev (à la Islamey), and Ravel. The colorful theme is heard at the outset in a rapid tempo, the music rhythmic and driven. Soon its mood turns playful, but its technical challenges even greater, as notes cascade from the upper register and rhythms become even wilder. In the latter half, a variant of the theme is played in the bass, briefly providing a calmer, less hectic atmosphere. But suddenly the music explodes into fireworks, with a frenzied tempo, forte sonorities, and octaves flying about the keyboard.

© Robert Cummings, Rovi