Reinhold Glière - String Sextet No. 3, Op. 11 (1905)

Reinhold Moritzevich Glière (Russian: Рейнгольд Морицевич Глиэр, Ukrainian: Ре́йнгольд Мо́ріцевич Гліер / Reingol'd Moritsevich Glier; born Reinhold Ernest Glier, which was later converted for standardization purposes; 11 January 1875 [O.S. 30 December 1874] - 23 June 1956), was a composer in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union, of German and Polish descent.
String Sextet No. 3 in C major, Op. 11 (1905)
Dedication: à la mémoire de M. P. Belaieff (Mitrofan Belyayev, 1836-1904)
1. Allegro
2. Larghetto (9:05)
3. Allegro (15:11)
4. Allegro vivace (21:14)
Berlin Philharmonic String Octet
String Sextet No.3 in C Major, Op.11 dates from 1905. Wilhelm Altmann, perhaps the most famous chamber music critic of all, writes of it:
"This magnificent work is packed with a treasure chest of wonderful musical ideas. The writing is so powerful it approaches the orchestral in nature. It is a work with which every friend of chamber music should become familiar."
The joyful themes to the opening Allegro are inspired by Russian folk melody and reminiscent of the tonal coloring of Borodin. The lyrical, elegiac and emotionally charged second movement, Larghetto, is a real showcase of Gliere's mastery as the singing quality of the strings approaches that of the human voice. The third movement, Allegro, is a very Russian scherzo. with songful melodies alternating with dance episodes which become faster each time they reappear. The superb finale, Allegro vivace, begins in a festive fashion. It is here in particular that the brilliance and richness of the tone Gliere elicits approaches the orchestral in its intensity.

[@cameronowens7807]

1 - 0:00
2 - 9:06
3 - 15:13
4 - 21:16

[@joshsussman9432]

Gliere is a master of scoring, sonorities are spaced beautifully, lots of color and shading in the string sound. Attractive melodic writing, too.

[@benlindsay6012]

Glière was a champion when it came to composing chamber music! Apparently this particular string sextet was his most successful.

[@carlosmontes6568]

Dynamic movements make pretty enjoyable this composition......

[@rbbonotto]

I've been listening to the Octet. A pretty amazing piece.

[@giannif.6774]

Thank you very much kind man!

[@torterrakart7249]

0:51

[@karlpoppins]

0:37 Star Wars!

[@TheodoreServin]

It is an augmented chord that they play. I suppose that the moment in the soundtrack you are referring to also uses that harmony. Very effective for creating a somewhat jarring sound in music.

[@karlpoppins]

@@TheodoreServin I thought it was the same chord when I wrote this, but I went back to listen to the Star Wars main titles and it turns out it's not exactly. In Star Wars there's a moment that's similar to 0:37, with descending string patterns, but the chord here is Ebaug whereas in Star Wars it's an Abmaj7#5, which contains an Eaug, i.e. a half-step up from Ebaug. By the way, a similar moment happens in 0:46 with a Daug.

[@anandsamuel1978]

Would someone please tell me which instruments are used for this sextet? It's a glorious piece!

[@judythomson542]

2 violins, 2 violas and 2 cellos

[@anandsamuel1978]

@@judythomson542 thank you very much for the information. Appreciated.