Essai 56
A septet for flute, clarinet, bassoon, piano, violin, cello and double bass, in E flat, in 6/8, over a piano rocking figure that never quite stops.
The first minute is calm and warm, almost all woodwind: a quiet forest, deep and sad. At 1:02 the piece straightens up all at once, brighter and louder; at 1:20 the strings take over for the most intense passage. At 1:32 the opening returns, luminous this time.