Symphony No. 6 (Chávez)

The Sixth Symphony was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic in celebration of their 1962–63 opening season in Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

The work is in three movements: Far from the experimental approaches Chávez adopted in his earlier symphonies, the Sixth accepts the classical forms.

After extensive development, the recapitulation is followed by a developmental coda, including a strict mirror canon on the first theme.

This is followed, after a descending transitional passage in the low brass, by the second section, where the double basses present the theme that will form the basis of the finale.

The twenty-ninth variation evokes a Brahmsian sound as a culmination, reflecting the illustrious antecedent Chávez has accepted as his model, and the main theme from the first movement returns in the thirtieth.