Britten wrote the work for the Viennese-born pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm in World War I. Britten met Wittgenstein in New York in July 1940 and sketched the piece in August at Owl's Head, Maine. Although Wittgenstein complained about the orchestration, Britten declined to make any changes. In spite of this situation, Wittegenstein retained the performing rights for a good number of years, which kept other pianists from performing the work.
| Date of composition | 1940 (July - October 1940; revised in 1950 and 1953-1954) |
| Premiered | 1942, January 16th (Academy of Music) in Philadelphia, PA, United States |
| Dedicated to | 'For Paul Wittgenstein' |
| Type | Variations |
| Catalogue | BTC 877 |
| Approx. duration | 30 minutes |
| Instruments |
Piano
- Left hand ;
Orchestra |
| Autotranslations beta |
Benjamin Britten: Diversions, BTC 877 Benjamin Britten: Diversions, BTC 877 Benjamin Britten: Diversions, BTC 877 |