The Chamber Concerto is a work for winds, piano, harpsichord, and strings by György Ligeti. Composed between 1969 and 1970, the work was premiered on October 1, 1970 by Friedrich Cerha, to whom the piece is dedicated, and his ensemble "die reihe".
The piece is in four movements:
It is scored for flute (doubling piccolo), oboe (doubling English horn and Oboe d'amore), clarinet, bass clarinet, horn, tenor trombone, harpsichord (doubling harmonium), piano (doubling celesta), and string quintet.
The Chamber Concerto uses micropolyphonic textures, which Ligeti describes as, "One clearly discernible interval combination is gradually blurred, and from this cloudiness it is possible to discern a new interval combination taking shape." However, it also demonstrates a shift away from this type of writing in Ligeti's music, and towards a more, melodic, eclectic style.[1]
A typical performance lasts about 20 minutes.