The oeuvre of Bernd Alois Zimmermann is chracterized by the abundant use of musical quotations. In "Dialoge" he transferred this 'pluralistic composition technique' to a large-scale symphony orchestra for the first time. In the extended cadence at the end of the work, Zimmermann integrates several quotes from Mozart's Piano Concerto in C major, K 467, as well as musical characters from Debussy's "Jeux" and jazz elements. Hence comes "Dialogues across the ages of people deaming, loving, suffering and playing" (Zimmermann).