Quintet in G minor for oboe, clarinet, violin, viola and double bass (Prokofiev)
The quintet in G minor op.39 for oboe, clarinet, violin, viola and double bass is a chamber music work by the Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev from 1924.
Prokofiev's Quintet in G minor op. 39 for oboe, clarinet, violin, viola and double bass is largely based on the lost ballet “Trapeze” (op. 39). It was written by Prokofiev on behalf of a traveling theater for a rather unusual line-up of two winds and three string instruments . The composer later said:
- “Basically, however, this elaborate story from circus life, entitled Das Trapez , was not decisive for me to compose a chamber music piece that could also be performed without any story. Hence some rhythmic complexities such as the passage in ten-eighth time (3-4-3) [...]. "
In the quintet piece “the grotesque so characteristic of the art of the early 20th century is reflected, but in a refraction typical of Prokofiev: as farce , humorous , sometimes also as fantasy. The work is full of eccentric sound connections and sudden turns in the thematic development that exceed the 'norm' typical of Prokofiev. ”The work consists of six movements, Moderato (theme, variations, theme), Andante energico, Allegro sostenuto, Adagio pesante, Allegro precipige and Andantino .