Peter Schickele
Quartet for Clarinet, Violin, Cello and Piano
1. Moderato, flowing
2. Fast, driving
3. Slow, elegiac
4. Quite fast, dancing
Composer Peter Schickele (b. 1935) is best known as the Grammy® Award-winning satirist responsible for the hilarious fictional composer, P.D.Q. Bach (1807-1742?), which he created during the mid-1960s at about the same time he left his teaching position at the Juilliard School. But in addition to his humorous parodies Schickele has a varied catalog of original orchestral works and chamber music, and he has composed for stage, television and film, including the soundtrack for the 1972 science fiction film, Silent Running.
The Quartet (composed 1979-1982, published 1984) has become a concert favorite, and its intricate, playful, and sometimes jazzy style showcases the performers technical mastery while never failing to delight audiences.