Passacaglia for orchestra is one of Palester’s first works in which the composer used serial technique. The composition as a whole is based on a bass formula built of four chords forming a twelve-tone series. An additional series appears in the treble. Passacaglia is a piece of complex texture, written for a large orchestra with triple woodwinds, augmented percussion, two harps and a piano, continuing the expressionistic line of Palester’s style.

Passacaglia was first performed by Franz André in Brussels on 8 June 1955. In 1984 Palester created a second version of the work which has remained in manuscript. In 1971 he wrote Passacaglia for piano.