Untergangssextett

Small-scale art music by Georg Kreisler (lyrics and music): Kreisler, who died in 2011, wrote the 'Untergangssextet' [Sextet of Doom] shortly before his death. He finished it save for the last bars; his fellow countryman Gerhard Wimberger added the ending (23 bars) in this version. Inspired by the pianist Sherri Jones, Kreisler, as in 'Fünf Lieder für Barbara', seized on ideas of his early piano compositions from the 1940s and 1950s. Extract from the lyrics: When the moon sets, everything is over. Then come the shadows, the weakened squadrons, the anointed sanctimonious old windbags with wind music, wind music, wind music and shouting […] The Jews take flight, the Christians take the Pope, Arabians take Mohammed. We buy and win and we take…until the end. Damn it! This is hard.