The Sechs Kurze Stücke für Großes Orchester was written in 1948 during Rausch’s prolific post-war period when he composed ten significant works in four years. These works show Rausch reveling in his now mature compositional style where he tries his hand at a wide variety of genres – large orchestra, chamber orchestra, organ, piano, chamber music, solo vocal music, and choral music. 

 

 This work exudes an optimism for the future. Rausch wrote of this time in his autobiography: “For a short time, I even dreamed of becoming an organist at an obscure country church with a meager income and plenty of leisurely hours left for compositions.” During this productive three-year period, he pursued this goal with more fervor than at any other time in his life. 

 

 The composer describes the movements as short, still the work is his longest and most ambitious work for orchestra. At 21 minutes, his next closest work in this medium clocks in at a mere 12 minutes. Here the composer shows the world that he has an array of compositional and orchestral techniques at his command.