William Walton's Variations on a Theme by Hindemith is an orchestral piece in eleven continuous sections, first performed in 1963.
[6] In North America the piece was taken up by George Szell, conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, who performed it in the US and Canada to enthusiastic audiences, and made its first studio recording.
[7] The work is scored for three flutes (one doubling piccolo), two oboes, one cor anglais, two clarinets, one bass clarinet, three bassoons (one doubling contrabassoon), four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, one tuba, timpani, side drum, bass drum, glockenspiel, cymbals, suspended cymbal, tambourine, triangle, xylophone, harp and strings.
[10] Hindemith was delighted with the Variations, and called the work "a half-hour of sheer enjoyment",[4] and Walton said to Benjamin Britten in 1964 that he thought the piece one of his best.
[18] But in the early 1960s Walton was seen by some critics as old-fashioned, and reviews after the premiere included comments by Peter Heyworth and others to the effect that the piece contained nothing new.