This sextet is one of Penderecki’s weightier contributions to the chamber music canon. The two expansive movements, Allegro moderato and Larghetto, are strongly subdivided and structured by means of different expressions and tempo changes. The work is an impressive manifestation of a composer at the height of his creative powers and is comparable to the violin concerto “Metamorphoses” and the recently premiered “Concerto grosso” for 3 cellos and orchestra.Each instrument is equally involved in the musical development and all players are confronted with the rewarding task of integrating brilliant, virtuosic sections with lyrical and meditative ensemble passages.
Instrumentation:
clarinet, horn, string trio and piano