Description
Passacaglia in D Minor Op.533-Audio Performance
Passacaglia in D Minor Op.533
Level: Advanced
Passacaglia in D minor, Op. 533
Work History
Passacaglia in D minor, Op. 533 was originally conceived as a work for string quartet, an instrumentation for which it is still intended. The first complete sketches date from January 2013, though earlier attempts may exist as far back as 2010.
The work was first recorded in mid-2013 by Glenn Murray, who created a multi-tracked version during a visit to my home. A version for clarinet quartet was completed in 2019, and subsequently re-edited and slightly revised in January 2026 to produce this first published version of the work.
About the Work
The work opens with a slow, solemn statement of the theme in the first clarinet, gradually joined by the remaining instruments. This is followed by a section of short call-and-response figures, with the theme passed between the players beneath the surface activity.
The next two sections present the theme accompanied by rapidly moving triplets, which build momentum and lead into a faster series of variations in semiquavers. A passage of triumphant, cascading arpeggios ushers in a slower, more reflective section. This eventually gives way to a final set of variations marked by virtuosic musical fireworks, before the music subsides once more.
In the closing section, the theme is entrusted to a high-register clarinet soloist, accompanied by fiendishly fast passage work in the other instruments. The work then returns to its opening character, concluding with a slow and solemn final statement.
This product comes with clarinet clarinet parts (3 Bb clarinets and 1 bass clarinet) and a performance track.
Duration: circa 18 mins
