Schiller's poem An die Freude (1785), which inspired Beethoven to write the well-known theme for the finale of his 9th Symphony (1823/4), now the official anthem of the Council of Europe and the European Union, is not just about joy, but also about freedom, peace and human brotherhood.

In a deliberate break with protocol, our theme is presented here in 6 short, light and contrasting variations.
After a brief 8-bar introduction, this Theme is presented in 2 voices over a descending chromatic bass in white.
Variation 1 repeats the theme, articulating it in eighth notes over a descending chromatic bass in quarter notes.
Variation 2 consists of brief exchanges between melody and bass, with a contrasting ‘voluntary and heroic’ character in the middle section.
Variation 3 is a sort of drunken interpretation of our theme, transformed for the occasion into an eccentric ragtime.
Variation 4, meno mosso e malincolinco, is minor and ornamented in the Baroque style.
Variation 5 sees the melody come to life in virtuoso triplets on the simple support of its descending chromatic bass in white.
Variation 6 extends this pacifist, eclectic musical joke a little further in a style that I like to call ‘post-yéyé’, before finally disappearing, after a conclusion that has been postponed several times, in a final flop.

Frédéric Cellier

Encouraged by Jean Françaix, who praised him as an “excellent musician and tireless arranger,” Frédéric Cellier is the founder and artistic director of STRADIVARIUS Editions.

He is the author of light music pieces played around the world and a considerable number of arrangements in all styles and for all instruments, acclaimed by many personalities in the music world, including Michèle Auric, Jean Françaix, Adrian Gershwin, Wynton Marsalis, Yehudi Menuhin, Madeleine Milhaud, Manuel Rosenthal, Gabriel Tacchino, and Ornella Volta.

A concert clarinetist and certified teacher at the National Conservatories of Nice, Marseille, and Avignon, Frédéric Cellier is a laureate of the Fondation de France and the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation.