Beethoven’s piano variations on “Rule Britannia” date from about the same time as his variations on “God Save the King,” and the two works can be thought of as paired in composition and purpose.
#Beethoven250 Day 173
Variations on “Rule Britannia” (WoO 79), 1803
The pianist’s name seems to be Tigran Sahakyan, but beyond that, I don’t know.
The rousing tune “Rule Britannia” was written by English composer Thomas Arne as part of his stage work “Alfred” about Alfred the Great, written in 1740 to commemorate the accession of George I, and later expanded into a full-fledged opera.
Barry Cooper finds the “Rule Britannia” variations to be more innovative than those for “God Save the King”:
Here Thomas Arne’s melody disappears altogether in most of the variations, which retain only an approximation to the harmonic outline of the original. (Beethoven 138)
#Beethoven250 Day 173
Variations on “Rule Britannia” (WoO 79), 1803
The pianist’s name is Qian Hui Xu.