Metamorphosen

The model for this piece is a largely unknown minuet for piano, a study by Schubert in strict Baroque harmony and counterpoint, in some sense an example of Schubert’s appreciation and reception of Bach. Reimann, making maximum use of the scope for tonal colouration provided by his chosen instrumentation (wind quintet plus string quintet), intersperses the main sections of the minuet with free variations - the metamorphoses of the title. In the reprise the original 3-part setting, extended with intricate canonical treatment, achieves new harmonic meaning.