Sinfonia breve (1968)

The first movement (Epos) follows the features of a literary epic poem, which means it is a musical tale of important matters, contrasted in its progression and exalted in its expression. The second movement (Epeisódion) is based on a dialogue of two basic characters known from the first movement – the noisy one and the lyrical one. The third movement (Elegeia) is largely delicate and reflective in nature. From the point of view of macroform, the most important among the movements is the first one – the largest, with a piercing, noisy sound. The two subsequent movements gradually become gentler in their expression, moving from sharp sounds to a quiet and reflective narrative, ending with niente assoluto. In an introduction to the Polish premiere, Tadeusz Marek wrote:

Sinfonia brevis – about which some wrote after the premiere that one listened to it as it must have been written: with clenched teeth – is as one may assume after studying the score, a work opening a new chapter in the composer’s oeuvre.

The title page of the autograph bears the title of Sinfonia brevis, yet in the published score the title underwent a “generic” transformation, ending up as Sinfonia breve.