The history of the symphony is full of curiosities, ranging from works that are extremely long or scored for extensive instrumental forces to those of dubious authorship. There are also famous symphonies labelled as No. 0, works with alternate or multiple opus numbers, and a wealth of ‘unfinished’ symphonies. Krzysztof Penderecki’s 6. Sinfonie can also be included in this category, since his Seventh and Eighth were completed decades ago.

This work is comprised of eight songs on Chinese texts connected by solo intermezzos played on the Chinese stringed instrument, erhu. As in his two preceding works, the focus here is on vowels. This work, however, is scored for smaller orchestral forces and possesses a more intimate chamber music character, at times with greater melancholy than before. Penderecki has declared this symphony to be his farewell from the genre, although we know from experience that anything is possible with symphonies.