This early work explores variation form through a framework built around transformations of the augmented fourth.

The piece begins with a single theme (X), from which a variation (Y) is developed. A third idea (Z) then emerges from Y rather than returning directly to the original material. These three related themes form the basis of the work’s three movements, each undergoing its own process of development and variation. The result is a structure of three groups of three sections - an evolving chain of musical ideas growing from a single source.

Variations was first performed at De Montfort University in January 1995 by Alex Fleming (clarinet) and Simon Siddal (piano).