The form of this water music recalls that of the traditional single-movement overture, with its slow introduction and fast main section. The slow section presents two figures, one of which is a fanfare-like call, somewhat reminiscent of Monteverdi and, as such, a summons, a challenge, a signal to depart, an assembly call. At the end of the introduction, the barcarolle itself appears, played on a solo viola. On hearing this, we gain the impression that the preceeding funeral dirges, especially those on the strings, were merely preludes to this archetypal barcarolle. This is a point of departure for the fast section. Here I imagined someone crossing the Styx, a dying man who sees a number of decisive moments in his former life pass before his mind’s eye in rapid succession. To illustrate this idea, I cast this section in the form of a series of variations on the barcarolle theme, repeatedly interrupting them with Charon’s music for trumpets and trombones, while at the same time interweaving constantly changing variants of other motifs.

Hans Werner Henze