Bach-Variationen für großes Orchester

Paul Dessau (1894–1976) studied conducting and went on to hold positions at opera houses in Hamburg, Cologne (under Otto Klemperer) and Berlin (under Bruno Walter), before abandoning music theatre and becoming a prolific composer of film music. In 1933, due to his Jewish heritage and Communist stance, he was forced to leave Germany for France, where René Leibowitz introduced him to twelve-tone technique. When war broke out, Dessau fled to the USA and met Bertolt Brecht, marking the start of a long and fruitful collaboration with the playwright that continued in East Berlin after the end of the war. Despite initial controversies, he became one of East Germany's leading composers and composition teachers, despite keeping his distance from the state. His most-performed concert work, the Bach Variations of 1963, combine themes by C. P. E. Bach and J. S. Bach with motivic references to Arnold Schoenberg.

Throughout its long and eventful history, Edition Peters has consistently sought to support contemporary music, making it accessible in high-quality scores. The years in which Germany, and the publishing house itself, were divided between East and West form an important chapter in the company's story. The output of composers from the East German firm – then known as VEB Edition Peters, Leipzig – forms a unique and valuable part of the company's identity and, more widely, of European cultural history. Their works are compositionally and aesthetically diverse, while sharing a communicative creative drive. The artistic independence of the music created in East Germany between 1949 and 1990 makes this repertoire well worth rediscovering.