Berg, Webern: Chamber Music

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
In 1904, Anton Webern enrolled as a pupil in the classes given by Schoenberg at the Schwarzwald private School. He was soon joined by Alban Berg. Both young composers had already produced a number of essays in a style as yet unsure, but which was gradually to assert itself under the august supervision of Schoenberg. It is this period of apprenticeship and maturation which we are here given a chance to discover in the company of the Arditti Quartet, the pianist Stefan Litwin, and Thomas Kakuska, violist of the Alban Berg Quartet. In the case of Webern, the most remarkable feature is the speed with which he assimilated and transcended his master’s teaching, as is demonstrated by the works from around 1910 recorded here: from the Piano Quintet of 1907, notable for the high quality of its development, to the Three Pieces for cello and piano op.11 (1914) which, in their extraordinary concision and their virtual exploration of sound from the inside, already show the fingerprints of the fully mature composer. Berg’s development was to be a longer process, even though Schoenberg very early identified his ‘extraordinary talent as a composer’. All written before the Piano Sonata op.1, the nine short pieces of 1905-08 gathered here represent the ‘workshop’ of the prentice composer. In their revealing demonstration of a perceptible evolution in his language, they shed precious new light on one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century.

Tracks:

Piano Sonata, Op. 1: MaBig bewegt
Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 92 No. 4: Allegretto piacevole, animato e flessibile
Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 92 No. 4: Theme, Canons And Variations. Andantino - Agitato - Allegretto
Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 92 No. 4: Scherzo. Vivace ma non troppo
Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 92 No. 4: Adagio
Variations For Piano, Op. 27: Sehr maBig
Variations For Piano, Op. 27: Sehr Schnell
Variations For Piano, Op. 27: Ruhig FlieBend
Concerto For Nine Instruments, Op. 24: Etwas lebhaft
Concerto For Nine Instruments, Op. 24: Sehr langsam
Concerto For Nine Instruments, Op. 24: Sehr rasch
Rhapsody No. 1
La Valse

Customer Reviews:

Endless revelation.......2007-03-14

As an artist who sometimes chooses music while in the studio working I can't find another CD which I enjoy so much. There is such artistry coming from Glenn Gould the music is like being on another plane. Most enjoyable to me are the silences he acheives while holding the entire work together as a totality. The pieces are not typical western music, even the Ravel and Debussy are played like you have never heard them before except small glimpses of melodic line. Great interpretation.Then there is YouTube where you can actually watch him play, what a hoot.

SING ALONG WITH WEBERN.......2004-08-22

The idea of Gould as a chamber-music performer had always seemed to me as unlikely as the idea of Michelangeli in that role, yet here he is in a Debussy rhapsody with clarinet and in the Webern concerto for 9 instruments. It is a serious mistake to type-cast Gould, I am finding increasingly. As a player of Debussy he won me over right from his first couple of bars, the style somewhat reminiscent of Gieseking, not at all like Michelangeli and far more sympathetic than Ashkenazy. In the Webern he is the absolute model of an ensemble-player too, perfectly in balance with his collaborators.

I hope that the names of the composers represented here do not frighten off too many nervous music-lovers. In fact the three biggest names of the second Viennese school, Schoenberg Berg and Webern, are three very distinct musical personalities. Webern is the biggest problem for me, and I believe for many. There are various ways one might approach him. Gould himself heard him as some kind of successor to Mahler, and I think I can just about follow that, at least in the variations. There is a pretty obvious jazz element too, heard here in the last movement of the concerto. This may indeed be cerebral music, more intended for reading than for hearing, as Gould also suggests. I suppose that particular concept makes at least a little more sense than painting intended to be listened to, but in fact Webern works best for me as background music, taken in impressionistically rather than in any kind of intellectual way. One saving grace is that he is at least brief - the variations take not quite 5 minutes and the concerto not quite 6. As a bonus we are given a certain amount of Gould's famous vocal obbligato in a context where a little extra melody does not come amiss. Berg's sonata is another matter entirely, the friendly face of atonalism like most of its composer's work. I had already owned Gould's performance via the Great Pianists of the 20th Century series, and by now it is something of an old friend, with a nostalgic end-of-era feel to it more than any sense of the vanguard of some revolution, and played with real affection and sensitivity. The third sonata by Krenek (1900-1991) is new to me. It does not put me off in the least despite a more vigorous and aggressive idiom than Berg's. It is not, to my ears at least, all that revolutionary or uncompromising, and ought to have something to say to anyone who can even cope with Stravinsky or Prokofiev, hardly avant-garde these days. The last movement in particular, an adagio, is played with real spirituality, the short scherzo is given with bracing clarity and bite, and it hardly needs saying that the entire work benefits from such superlative piano-playing.

I would like to have been told more, indeed told anything, about the other performers. The clarinettist is an accomplished virtuoso if somewhat unseductive tone-wise. There is no clue at all either as to who the other 8 performers were in this 1977 broadcast of the Webern concerto. In fact these are all broadcast performances except for the Berg and Krenek sonatas, both of which were studio-recorded in New York over the same two days in 1958. The last item on this disc is Gould's piano transcription of La Valse - it appears he was not too thrilled by Ravel's own attempt at that. This is simply celestial. For the one and only time in my life, I think, I would have mistaken the player for Michelangeli if this had been played to me without attribution. Superlatives fail me - the melody properly masked amid the swirling, whirling accompaniment, the combination of spontaneity with cunning in the rhythm, above all the sublime, sumptuous tone-quality, so rich that - incredibly - I did not miss Ravel's wonderful scoring.

The recorded quality is perfectly good without being exactly amazing. Look rather to the piano-playing for amazement here. The total playing-time of the disc is only just over an hour, but at least it includes the total oeuvre of Webern for the instrument.

Who knew?.......2003-07-08

Gould's distaste for what I loosely call "smooth" music is not apparent in his transcription of "La Valse." It is an astounding tour de force that after the Berg and Webern pieces, seems like a scoop of ice cream on a simmering day in August. Who knew that Gould could infuse this work with such passion? The Ravel alone is worth five stars. For those somewhat atypical listeners who actually like Berg and Webern, those poets of dissonance, this disc rivals his interpretations of Schoenberg, another discordant chap.

Don't Expect Bach.......2000-08-21

For those of you who know Glenn Gould's music by his Bach recordings, you are in for a shock on this CD. This music, by 20th Century composers, has more in common with avant-garde jazz pianists like Cecil Taylor and Marilyn Crispell than old J.S. The music is very complex, often discordant and abrasive, and even atonal. That is not to say it does not have its own moments of splendor. Passages, in the Krenek and Webern particularly, are beautiful, but beautiful in the way that a sunbeam breaks through storm clouds, not beautiful as in a field of daisies. However, all of the music here is not so harsh, and in fact the Debussy and Ravel are pretty straightforward. After the first three pieces, they may even sound as refreshing as Bach to some listeners. In all, a very good recording as long as you know what to expect.

Average customer rating:

The dancer from the dance
Fair performance
Another Excellent Disc from the Leipzig String Quartet...

Berg: Complete String Quartets
Alban Berg , Anton Webern , Christiane Oelze , and Leipzig String Quartet
Manufacturer: MD&G Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Hindemith: Complete String Quartets
Berg: Chamber Concerto; Three Orchestral Pieces, Op. 6; Violin Concerto
Arnold Schoenberg: Serenade/Five Pieces For Orchestra
Schoenberg: The String Quartets
Alban Berg: Lulu Suite/The Wine/Lyric Suite

ASIN: B00005043G
Release Date: 2000-11-28

Tracks:

Str Qt, Op.3: Langsam
Str Qt, Op.3: Massige Viertel
Lyrische Ste: Allegretto Gioviale
Lyrische Ste: Andante Amoroso
Lyrische Ste: Allegro Misterioso
Lyrische Ste: Adagio Appassionato
Lyrische Ste: Presto Delirando
Lyrische Ste: Largo Desolato
Three Pieces: Bewegt
Lyrische Ste: Langsam
Nicht Zu Langsam

Customer Reviews:

The dancer from the dance.......2007-05-10

With taste in music being of infinite variety, anyone has the right to dislike any given piece of music. But to villify a recorded performance because of dislike the music, as one reviewer here has done, is patently inappropriate and unfair. These are magnificent performances, magnificently recorded. The Leipgiz Quartet's is probably the best recording ever made of Berg's Lyric Suite. So if you love and admire this music, or if you're interested in learning it, don't be disuaded by someone who does not distinguish between the music and a recorded performance of that music. Your investment in this disc will be well-spent.

Fair performance.......2007-02-08

Much better is The La Salle on the DG 8 cd set. La Salle gets at the essence of the music. Wish I could say more on the Leipzig performance, I sold the cd last yr after being disappointed. Can't recall specific, but knew was not very well performaed. The La Salle takes one on a wonderful journey into Berg's intreguing sound world.

Another Excellent Disc from the Leipzig String Quartet..........2005-01-31

Berg's String Quartet, Op. 3 has always been a favorite of mine, and here it is finely realized by the Leipzig SQ on the wonderful MD&G label. Highly recommended, as are all the recordings by Leipzig SQ of music of the Second Viennese School.

Average customer rating:

Urbane
I love this CD
The Solo Piano Music of the Second Viennese School
I've owned Pollini and Uchida
Hard pieces played well...

Berg/Schoenberg/Webern: Piano Music
Peter Hill
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Webern: Symphony; Six Pieces; Concerto for 9 Instruments
Boulez: Piano Sonatas Nos. 1-3
Webern: Passacaglia, Symphony, Five Pieces
Cage: Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano
Complete Crumb Edition, Vol. 8; Makrokosmos Books I & II, Otherwordly Resonances

ASIN: B00000JYTV
Release Date: 1999-08-31

Tracks:

Sonata, Op. 1
Three Piano Pieces, Op. 11: Mig
Three Piano Pieces, Op. 11: Mige
Three Piano Pieces, Op. 11: Bewegt
Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19: Leicht, zart
Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19: Langsam
Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19: Sehr langsam
Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19: Rasch, aber leicht
Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19: Etwas rasch
Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19: Sehr langsam
Five Piano Pieces, Op. 23: Sehr langsam
Five Piano Pieces, Op. 23: Sehr rasch
Five Piano Pieces, Op. 23: Langsam
Five Piano Pieces, Op. 23: Schwungvoll
Five Piano Pieces, Op. 23: Walzer
Suite for Piano, Op. 25: Prdium
Suite for Piano, Op. 25: Gavotte
Suite for Piano, Op. 25: Musette
Suite for Piano, Op. 25: Gavotte
Suite for Piano, Op. 25: Intermezzo
Suite for Piano, Op. 25: Menuett
Suite for Piano, Op. 25: Trio
Suite for Piano, Op. 25: Menuett
Suite for Piano, Op. 25: Gigue
Piano Piece Op. 33A
Piano Piece Op. 33B
Variations, Op. 27: Sehr mig
Variations, Op. 27: Sehr schnell
Variations, Op. 27: Ruhig fliend

Customer Reviews:

Urbane.......2007-03-01

Hill could have played the Berg in a more raw manner, with a sort of recklessness that characterized this late-Romantic early 20th century work.

The Schoenberg and Webern pieces seem desperately academic to me. Calculating and mathematical, I'm not sure what to think of them.

I love this CD.......2006-09-12

I have been listening to this CD over and over and over again for the last six years and it still fascinates me. Peter Hill plays the music of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern with great feeling, lyricism and even nostalgia! It is so easy to forget that this is music from the first half of the TwenCen and should, by rights, be well and truly part of the standard repertoire and "establishment" by now.

Yet the Second Viennese School still shocks and upsets people. I wonder why? Obviously, such people haven't heard recordings like this one.

I don't know much about Peter Hill other than what the CD tells me, but I do like this Englishman's interpretations of this music. Mr. Hill's Sonata Op. 1 by Alban Berg is one of the most beautiful, and haunting, pieces of keyboard music I've ever heard. I studied the Variations, Op. 27 by Anton Webern at high school and this work has been a favourite of mine all my life. Mr. Hill's recording is as good as any I have every heard and he manages, more than most, to find the hidden beauties, forms and lyricism in this very compact and concise work.

Peter Hill presents us with all of Schoenberg's solo piano music - six works in all! I also have Claude Helffer's recording of the Schoenberg on HARMONIA MUNDI. Monsieur Helffer's approach seems to wallow in the atonalism and structure of these works. His is a more anti-Romantic approach to this music. It appeals to me, much of the time, yet I am very attracted to Peter Hill's much more loving, lyrical and, yes, Romantic approach to this music.

Claude Helffer shows us how strange and daring Schoenberg was in his music. Peter Hill presents us with music which is strange and daring, but also beautiful.

I listen to this CD sometimes in candle light with a glass of wine. I like to really engage with this CD.

As I said, I love this CD.

The Solo Piano Music of the Second Viennese School.......2006-09-01

The music of Arnold Schoenberg (1885 -- 1935) and his students Alban Berg (1885-- 1935) and Anton Webern (1883 -- 1945) brought something creative, revolutionary, and controversial to music. The change they effected in compositional style was so marked that Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern are frequently referred to as the "Second Vienese School." This CD includes virtually all the solo piano music composed by the Second Viennese School. The works are short and in a variety of styles. Pianist Peter Hill, a specialist in the performance of 20th century music, including works by Stravinsky and Messiaen, gives a deeply informed and probing reading of these difficult works.

Alban Berg's piano sonata, opus 1 (1908) is the earliest of the works on this CD, composed after Berg had completed four years of study with Schoenberg. Berg's only work for solo piano, the sonata is lyrical, reflective and accessible. It is a late romantic masterpiece, full of changes in harmonies, tempo, and dynamics. The work develops from a quiet, meditative theme, stated at the outset, and rises develops to moments of great force and passion. It comes, at last, to a quiet, serene close in which the tonal character of the piece is confirmed.

Arnold Schoenberg was the creator of "atonal" or fully chromatic music. (As it developed, it uses all the black and white keys on the piano without establishing a key center.) Schoenberg's output for piano solo is small, but Schoenberg used his writing for the instrument to develop his musical ideas. There is a tendency to over-intellectualize Schoenberg's work and that of his student Webern, (Berg's music, even at its most atonal, is overtly romantic and tugs at the heart.) but the music is full of passion when given a chance.

Schoenberg's Three Piano Pieces, op. 11 and his Six Little Piano Pieces, op, 19 date from 1909 and 1911. The pieces of 1909 are sometimes dubbed as "Brahms with dissonances" as Schoenber composed music in a romantic mood while venturing into the musical language of atonality. The initial two pieces are recognizably romantic, in themes and structure, while the brief third piece moves into a language much more impressionistic, fragmentary and difficult. The set of six little piano pieces are short and intense, following the third piece of op. 11. The final piece of the set, with its bell-like conclusion was written for the funeral of Gustav Mahler.

Following WW I, Schoenberg developed his music by using the twelve-tone scale for which he is best remembered. The five piano pieces, opus 23 consists, again of very short works, which take small clusters of notes and explore them intensely. The final work of the set, a waltz, is the only work of this set in a 12-tone idiom. The suite for piano opus 25, written at the same time as the opus 23, is 12-tone throughout. But the feel of the music shifts from romanticism to a throwback to the baroque suite, as Schoenberg's movements each bear the name of, and a distant resemblance to, a dance movement from an early harpsichord suite, such as "prelude", "musette" "gavotte", and "gigue". Schoenberg's final piano works, op. 33A and op. 33b, combine, in short compass the romantic and the baroque elements of op. 23 and op. 25.

Anton Webern wrote only one short piece for solo piano, the Variations, op 27, but it exerted great influence on many subsequent 20th century composers. It is a three-movement work, in which only the third movement consists of variations. For many years, Webern's music was thought, even by his admirers and imitators, to be formal and cold with little room for feeling. But this view seems to be a misapprehension of the music's nature and purpose, as Webern, following his teacher, tried to write tersely and to pack emotion and feeling into very short, succinct phrases. I found that approaching the music in this way helped me to respond to it.

Berg's sonata has become established, and rightly so, in the piano literature, but Schoenberg and Webern still remain more respected than heard. For those possessing good familiarity with music and patience for repeated hearings, this music will be deeply rewarding. This budget priced CD is an excellent way to get to know the music of Berg, Schoenberg, and Webern.

Robin Friedman

I've owned Pollini and Uchida.......2006-02-11

in the Schoenberg, both are good.
But I much prefer this Peter Hill. I rarely use the word definitive, but in this case that descriptive applies. Everything about this guy's balance of tech and poetic understanding is alive here. One thing I like especially well is that Hill's ability to make this music more refined classical sound and much less of a jazzy image.
For a jazzy approach try Pollini.
PLUS YOU get the incredible Berg sonata and Webern's enchanting variations. BIG bonus'. 79 minutes of delightful music.

Hard pieces played well..........2004-02-11

I think that the word hard could only be applied to the technique and skill required to play the pieces.

I had a recording of the Schoenberg by Maurizio Pollini, and although it was good, this recording by Peter Hill is very clear and was done with a great deal of care. There is no distortion and no over loading at all, which is a hazard for these pieces.

I have been aware of all of these compositions by reputation for years, but only started playing bits of them recently. This material are for many people too hard, but this complexity has almost certainly percolated into the conciousness of most people watching films of any sort - I would be prepared to stick my neck out, and say that there is a strong overlap between the intentions of say, Carla Bley and Dave Brubeck as regards the suspension of tonality, or at least, it's possible abolition.

In particular, Dave Brubeck's publishers issued a collection of Nocturns a while ago. It took me a couple of years picking a few of these and trying to get a feel for what they were really supposed to sound like. In the end, I had to cheat, and resort to a few rather obscure recordings of the pieces played in a quartet setting, quite a different context from solo piano, to get a feel for them at all. I suspect that Op11 is a lot less ambiguous than that, and as I've been slowly trying to get a grip on some of this, it's been very rewarding and become very clear.

I do wonder now what we all mean when we say the word "atonal". I suspect that there's precious little chance of perceiving any such thing, as our apparatus for picking up relationships, harmonic and structural, are so powerful that in fact all we can do is to play games with these kinds of pieces, avoiding settling down like a bird fluttering around a while before finally settling down on a branch.

Some folks would say that this is all tosh and what you think was intention was accident. That may posibly be the case with Xenakis and Babbit, where at least Xenakis is practically using the laws of chance to construct everything. But if you were really honest, that has nothing to do with this material, and is a much later development.

Ignore the Berg at your peril, it's brilliant, and incisive and the fact that it is theoretically atonal is irrelevant, it's just marvellous. Op11 and especially Op33 is just whistful jazz, the sort of thing that you would hear mid way in a Barbara Thompson concert...

Tracks:

String quartet no.1 in D minor, op.7: Nicht zu rasch - Arnold Schoenberg
String quartet no.1 in D minor, op.7: Kraftig - Arnold Schoenberg
String quartet no.1 in D minor, op.7: Massig - Arnold Schoenberg
String quartet no.1 in D minor, op.7: Massig - heiter - Arnold Schoenberg
String quartet no.2 in F sharp minor, op.10: Massig (Moderato) - Arnold Schoenberg
String quartet no.2 in F sharp minor, op.10: Sehr rasch - Arnold Schoenberg
String quartet no.2 in F sharp minor, op.10: Litanei. Langsam - Arnold Schoenberg
String quartet no.2 in F sharp minor, op.10: Entruckung. Sehr langsam - Arnold Schoenberg

Tracks:

String quartet no.3, op.30: Moderato - Arnold Schoenberg
String quartet no.3, op.30: Adagio - Arnold Schoenberg
String quartet no.3, op.30: Intermezzo: Allegro moderato - Arnold Schoenberg
String quartet no.3, op.30: Rondo: Molto moderato - Arnold Schoenberg
String Quartet No.4, Op.37: Allegro molto; Energico - Arnold Schoenberg
String Quartet No.4, Op.37: Comodo - Arnold Schoenberg
String Quartet No.4, Op.37: Largo - Arnold Schoenberg
String Quartet No.4, Op.37: Allegro - Arnold Schoenberg

Tracks:

String Quartet In D Major: Allegro molto - Anton Webern
String Quartet In D Major: Intermezzo. Andantino grazioso - Anton Webern
String Quartet In D Major: Andante con moto - Anton Webern
String Quartet In D Major: Allegro - Anton Webern
Satze, op.5: Heftig bewegt - Anton Webern
Satze, op.5: Sehr langsam - Anton Webern
Satze, op.5: Sehr bewegt - Anton Webern
Satze, op.5: Sehr langsam - Anton Webern
Satze, op.5: In zarter Bewegung - Anton Webern
String quartet - Anton Webern
6 Bagatellen, op.9: Massig - Anton Webern
6 Bagatellen, op.9: Leicht bewegt - Anton Webern
6 Bagatellen, op.9: Ziemlich fliessend - Anton Webern
6 Bagatellen, op.9: : Sehr langsam - Anton Webern
6 Bagatellen, op.9: Ausserst langsam - Anton Webern
6 Bagatellen, op.9: Fliessend - Anton Webern
String quartet, op.28: Massig - Anton Webern
String quartet, op.28: Gemachlich - Anton Webern
String quartet, op.28: Sehr fliessend - Anton Webern

Tracks:

Lyric Suite for String Quartet: Allegretto gioviale - SCHOENBERG/BERG/WEBERN
Lyric Suite for String Quartet: Andante amoroso - SCHOENBERG/BERG/WEBERN
Lyric Suite for String Quartet: Allegro misterioso - Trio estatico - SCHOENBERG/BERG/WEBERN
Lyric Suite for String Quartet: Adagio appassionato - SCHOENBERG/BERG/WEBERN
Lyric Suite for String Quartet: Presto delirando - Tenebroso - SCHOENBERG/BERG/WEBERN
Lyric Suite for String Quartet: Largo desolato - SCHOENBERG/BERG/WEBERN
String Quartet, Op.3: Langsam - SCHOENBERG/BERG/WEBERN
String Quartet, Op.3: Massige Viertel - SCHOENBERG/BERG/WEBERN

Customer Reviews:

An essential collection.......2005-07-12

This collection of music for string quartet by the Second Viennese School can now be said to have classical status. The LaSalle Quartet succeed fully in communicating the emotional, spiritual and intellectual depths the three composers of this school -Schönberg, Berg and Webern - commanded. Above all, these composers were through and through Viennese and these recordings show just how much their music grew out a continuum with the tradition handed down to them from Schubert, Beethoven, and Brahms.

First of all take the Second String Quartet by Schönberg with its fusion of the Quartet with the Lied. I have heard several versions of this, but none more beautiful than that sung by Margaret Price here. The otherworldly introspection and subtly visionary qualities of the music come across abundently. Yet at every moment the sense of the inheritance of the Viennese tradition remains omnipresent in the writing. Adorno thought this was the greatest thing Schönberg ever wrote and more than any other interpretion this one shows why Adorno might have thought that. It is a work of transcendent beauty that will appeal to lot of listeners, especially those who normally find Second Viennese School 'too difficult'. To have this along with the entire set of four quartets plus works by Berg and Webern is truly an embarrassment of riches!

The Webern pieces here are characterised by the Angst ridden darkness of their mood as well as their poignant brevity. These works were composed at a time when nearly every work was a response to the death of his mother - an event of enormous emotional impact for Webern. In this sense, the autobiographical elements recall the symphonies of Gustav Mahler, of whose music Webern was a powerful interpreter. Indeed, Berg even called him the greatest Mahler conductor since Mahler.

The thing that really makes this recording an essential set for every serious music lover's collection is the very substantial booklet that comes with this set. It is virtually a book rather than a booklet and is highly authoratative. I can only praise Deutsche Gramophon for maintaining their availability.

ABSOLUTELY THE BEST REALIZATIONS OF THE SECOND VIENNESE!!.......2005-01-31

I can't believe this set is out of print: QUICKLY buy it from a Marketplace vendor!!

It's really the best set of realizations of the Second Viennese School's essays in that most important of art-music genres, the string quartet. The LaSalle SQ's razor-sharp, crystal-clear interpretations of these exquisite oeuvre have not been surpassed.

Highly recommended!

Best chamber music ever from the so-called "atonal" school!.......2004-10-01

Arnold Schoenberg complained towards the end of his life that he had been forever saddled with the label of the man who had invented the so-called twelve-tone system of composition. He emphasized he was a composer first and foremost and the methods he employed were irrelevant to the discussion, and he was right. Tonal or atonal or twelve-tone, his music, together with that of his students and colleagues Alban Berg and Anton von Webern, was that of profound beauty and brilliance and wonder. The LaSalle Quartet brings to life almost a dozen works here: the four numbered Quartets by Schoenberg as well as an early work in that form he had written; Berg's early Quartet Op. 3 and the Lyric Suite; Webern's Five Pieces and Six Bagatelles for Quartet and the Quartet Op. 28 plus an early Slow Movement for Quartet, almost a one-movement Quartet in itself. The performances are unsurpassed and absolutely nobody who enjoys music from the 20th Century should be without this in their collection of chamber music. I first heard this while it was available on LP 28 years ago. It was stunning then and it is stunning now.

this is one of the best.......2000-06-17

This recording has been in the catalogue for a long time and has won numerous awards in Europe, and deservedly so. Artistically they can stand comparison with any of their competitors, including the old mono set of the Schoenberg quartets done by the Hollywood Quartet as a gift to the composer (for which he added a note of thanks and admiration). The sound quality has always been very fine. The documentation is equal in length and depth of analysis to a short book and is worthy of 6 stars. The original release on LPs, when I first heard it, was packaged in a large box set that would normally have been sufficient to contain the complete Beethoven symphonies; the extra room was needed just for the booklet. This is not easy music but is definitely worth the effort. Highest recommendation.

"Webern a la Schubert".......2000-01-05

The much underrated LaSalle Quartet gives loving performances in this now famous box-set. This quartet was long known for it's interpretations of the music of the Second Viennese School, and it's good to have these performances remain in the catalogue. Important also is the inclusion of the fascinating (and lengthy) theoretical study in the booklet.

Tracks:

At the Grave of Richard Wagner
String Quartet, Op. 3: I
String Quartet, Op. 3: II
Five Pieces, Op. 5: I
Five Pieces, Op. 5: II
Five Pieces, Op. 5: III
Five Pieces, Op. 5: IV
Five Pieces, Op. 5: V

Customer Reviews:

Quite excellent all around.......2002-01-31

This is a truly fascinating CD. Perhaps it doesn't have the greatest balance in terms of pieces, but that certainly shouldn't put you off at all.

The opening piece (the title track if you want to be "pop") is a truly sublime Lisztian work - you'll find none of the fire and virtuosity that you may have come to expect from him. Seems rather ironic, that a piece written by one of the most "aggressive" composers for another one of the most "aggressive" composers is really quite sublime - no Wagner tubas either.

However, that piece provides about 1/15 of the music presented on this album. The other two pieces, by Berg and Webern respectively, are very good ways to "get into" these two composers. We like to associated them with dry, cold, inaccessible serialism, an exceptionally unfair label on both the composers and the style. We, of course, forget that Berg actually had a very post-Romantic sound to his music (he found the "right" set of 12-tones, perhaps?). These pieces, however, are truly quite accessible, while still providing a fair representation about what these composers are all about. Personally, I prefer the Webern - I'm quite drawn to how he compresses everything into the bare essentials, and yet maintains every ounce of expressivity.

Naturally, Kronos Quartet plays these pieces brilliantly. And equally naturally, the recording quality is top notch. This is definitely worth a ... investment.

Fantastic !.......2000-12-19

This is possibly this most beautifull CD ever recorded by the Kronos Quartet. Who said that Berg or Webern were writing obscur or difficult music ? Actually i did, but certainly not when listening to this fabulous breathtaking, harmonius and moving interpretation.

Less Liszt.......2000-08-17

Don't be misled by the title selection into presuming that this CD contains a collection of romantic compositions by Liszt or others who composed in a similar vein. At the Grave of Richard Wagner comprises two minutes and forty-seven seconds of the thirty-two minutes and twenty-eight seconds on the recording. The balance consists of Alban Berg's String Quartet, Op. 3 (19:03) and Anton Webern's Five Pieces, Op. 5 (10:38). Therfore, if twelve-tone compositions are not something for which you have a fondness, unless you have a burning desire to acquire the Liszt composition, you might want to pass on this recording.

However, the Kronos Quartet is an excellent ensemble; therefore, if you appreciate the works of Berg and Webern, this recording is a worthy acquisition.

Excellent overall, First piece sublime.......1999-12-29

This is an excellent rendition of these three pieces done by Kronos. "At the Grave of Richard Wagner" is fantastic, and so moving and well done you find you haven't breathed at all while listening to it. Those unfamiliar with Berg and Webern will need a few listenings of those pieces to fully understand and appreciate them, because they are a stark contrast to the beauty of the Liszt piece. Excellent recording, highly recommended. Very well performed; the players completely understand the nuances of the music.

Average customer rating:

Schubert: Arpeggione Sonata

Manufacturer: Harmonia Mundi Fr.
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
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Concertos italiens
Alexandre Tharaud plays Rameau
Ravel: L'Oeuvre pour piano
Chopin Valses (Waltzes)

ASIN: B000H0MGZU
Release Date: 2006-12-12

Tracks:

Allegro Moderato
Adagio
Allegretto
Das Wandern D.795/1
Ungedult D.795/7
Mabige Achtel
Sehr Bewegt
Auberst Ruhig
Die Vogel D.691
Allegro Molto
Andante
Allegro Vivace
Weigenlied/Berceuse/Lullaby Op.98/2 D.498
I. Mabig
II. Sehr Langsam
III. Sehr Rasch
IV. Langsam
Nacht Und Traume Op.43/2 D.827

Average customer rating:

Dissonant bliss
An enjoyable miscellany

Schoenberg, Berg and Webern

Manufacturer: Koch Int'l Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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Arnold Schoenberg: Serenade/Five Pieces For Orchestra

ASIN: B00004WJMB
Release Date: 2000-09-26

Tracks:

Five Pieces, Op.16: I. Vorgefuhle: Sehr Rasch
Five Pieces, Op.16: II. Vergangenes: Massige Viertel
Five Pieces, Op.16: III. Farben (Sommermorgen Am See): Massige Viertel
Five Pieces, Op.16: IV. Peripetie: Sehr Rasch
Five Pieces, Op.16: V. Das Obligate Rezitativ: Bewegte Achtel
Six Little Pno Pieces, Op.19: I. Leicht, Zart
Six Little Pno Pieces, Op.19: II. Langsam
Six Little Pno Pieces, Op.19: III. Sehr Langsame Viertel
Six Little Pno Pieces, Op.19: IV. Rasch, Aber Leicht
Six Little Pno Pieces, Op.19: V. Etwas Rasch
Six Little Pno Pieces, Op.19: VI. Sehr Langsam
Four Pieces, Op.5: I. Massig
Four Pieces, Op.5: II. Sehr Langsam
Four Pieces, Op.5: III. Sehr Rasch
Four Pieces, Op.5: IV. Langsam
Vc Son: Sehr Bewegt
Two Pieces: I. Langsam
Two Pieces: II. Langsam
Adagio
Vars, Op.27: I. Sehr Massig
Var, Op.27: II. Sehr Schnell
Var, Op.27: III. Ruhig Fliessend

Customer Reviews:

Dissonant bliss.......2004-10-26

I was looking for a variety of atonal miniatures and I found it on this recording. None of the pieces are cheery, all are mysterious and forlorn sounding. Excellent CD to keep you company on a cold, lonely night camping in the middle of nowhere. TT 68:23

An enjoyable miscellany.......2004-01-13

This is the second of two discs recorded by Christoph Eschenbach and the Houston Symphony Chamber Players and devoted to the music of the Second Viennese School (Schoenberg, Berg and Webern). The first disc was focused around Webern's Concerto for Nine Instruments and Schoenberg's rarely-recorded Wind Quintet; this disc concentrates primarily on shorter works.

We hear Schoenberg's seminal Five Pieces for Orchestra, written in 1909, in a version for chamber orchestra by Felix Greissle. Despite the reduced scoring (the original calls for a large orchestra, though often used in a chamber-music-like manner), much of this work survives the transition well even if the last two movements feel somewhat denuded. This reading is sympathetic and well-attuned to the idiom (I particularly like Eschenbach's impressively broad reading of the second piece) and although this version of the work is very much a curiosity, it is one that Schoenberg fans will be glad to hear.

Eschenbach switches to the piano for the rest of the program. Schoenberg's Six Little Piano Pieces from 1911 receive an usually slow reading, but one that brings out the restrained colours and moods of these masterly atonal miniatures well. Less subdued are Berg's Four Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, from 1913. Schoenberg's withering criticism of these pieces--he felt they were too short and too Schoenbergian--may have been partly right, but Berg's own lyricism is only too obvious, particularly in the slow final piece. The performance here is good without being outstanding.

Continuing with the world of concision, Webern's unpublished 1914 Cello Sonata lasts a whole two minutes. It is very typical of the composer's style at that point, with its sudden, violent changes of mood and dramatic use of silences. By contrast, the Two Pieces for Cello Sonata, written in 1899, when the composer was 16, are essentially high-quality salon music.

Berg's Chamber Concerto is generally considered to be one of his thorniest works, and perhaps one of the reasons for arranging the Adagio for piano, violin and clarinet was to clarify the lyricism that in poorer performances gets lost in a mass of detail. Certainly, the atonally melodic nature of this work comes over very clearly in this fine performance.

Eschenbach closes the disc with the only serial work on it, Webern's Variations for Piano, written in 1936. This work isn't really a variation set--only the last of the three movements is in variation form, coming as it does after a rather ambivalent opening and a witty second movement complete with off-centre accents. This rather low-voltage performance, unfortunately, doesn't measure up to the classic readings of Rosen, Pollini and others.

Tracks:

Konzert, Op. 24, For Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Violin, Viola, And Piano: Etwas lebhaft
Konzert, Op. 24, For Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Violin, Viola, And Piano: Sehr langsam
Konzert, Op. 24, For Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, Trumpet, Trombone, Violin, Viola, And Piano: Sehr rasch
Drei Klien Stuke, Op. 11, For Cello And Piano: Massige
Drei Klien Stuke, Op. 11, For Cello And Piano: Sehr bewegt
Drei Klien Stuke, Op. 11, For Cello And Piano: Ausserst ruhig
Vier Stucke, Op.7, For Violin And Piano: Sehr langsam
Vier Stucke, Op.7, For Violin And Piano: Rasch
Vier Stucke, Op.7, For Violin And Piano: Sehr langsam
Vier Stucke, Op.7, For Violin And Piano: Bewegt
Sonata, Op.1 For Piano
Quintet, Op. 26 For Wind Insturments: Schwungvoll
Quintet, Op. 26 For Wind Insturments: Anmutig und heiter, scherzando
Quintet, Op. 26 For Wind Insturments: Etwas langsam
Quintet, Op. 26 For Wind Insturments: Rondo

Customer Reviews:

mixed performances of underperformed classics.......1998-12-21

I focus my review on the two most significant works: Webern's Concerto and Schoenberg's Wind Quintet. These are two of the most important (if not the most important), underplayed and misunderstood works of the first half of the 20th century Neither performance is terrible--indeed the ensemble carries their enthusiasm thru the potentially gruelling 45 minute Wind Quintet admirably. I must admit that this is one of the more charming recordings of Schoenberg's op. 26 currently available.

Tracks:

Kolisch Quartet - Kolisch Quartet
Mvt I Massig - Kolisch Quartet
MVT 2 Sehr Rasch - Kolisch Quartet
Mvt 3 Litanei Langsam - Kolisch Quartet
Mvt 4 Entrueckung - Kolisch Quartet
Schoenberg - Kolisch Quartet

Tracks:

Mvt I Moderato - Kolisch Quartet
Mvt 2 Adagio - Kolisch Quartet
Mvt 3 Intermezzo, Allegro Moderato - Kolisch Quartet
Mvt 4 Rondo, Molto Moderato - Kolisch Quartet
Schoenberg Speaks - Kolisch Quartet
Mvt I Allegro Molto Energico - Kolisch Quartet
Mvt 2 Comodo - Kolisch Quartet
Mvt 3 Largo - Kolisch Quartet
Mvt 4 Allegro - Kolisch Quartet

Tracks:

Mvt 1 Moderato - Pro Arte Quartet
Mvt 2 Adagio - Pro Arte Quartet
Mvt 3 Intermezzo - Pro Arte Quartet
Mvt 4 Rondo, Molto Moderato - Pro Arte Quartet
Mvt I Allegro Gioviale - Pro Arte Quartet
Mvt Andante Amoroso - Pro Arte Quartet
Mvt 3 Allegro Misterioso. Trio Estatico - Pro Arte Quartet
Mvt 4 Adagio Appassionato - Pro Arte Quartet
Mvt 5 Presto Delirando Tenebroso - Pro Arte Quartet
Mvt 6 Largo Desolato - Pro Arte Quartet

Tracks:

Mvt 1 Poco Allegro - Pro Arte Quartet
Mvt 2 Adante Grazioso - Pro Arte Quartet
Mvt 3 Finale. Allegro - Pro Arte Quartet
Kolisch Interview - Pro Arte Quartet
Mvt I Temp Di Ciaccona - Pro Arte Quartet
Mvt 2 Fuga. Risoluto, Non Troppo Vivo - Pro Arte Quartet
Mvt 3 Melodia. Adagio - Pro Arte Quartet
Mvt 4 Presto - Pro Arte Quartet

Tracks:

Mvt I Allegro - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
Mvt 2 Adagio Molto - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
Mvt 3 Scherzo - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
Mvt 4 Andante - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
Mvt 5 Finale. Allegro Vivace - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
Schoenberg: Fantasie, Op.47 - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
Mvt I Allegro Molto - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
Mvt 2 Intermezzo. Andantino Grazioso - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
Mvt 3 Andante Con Moto - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
Mvt 4 Allegro/ Presto - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin

Tracks:

Mvt I Heftig Bewegt - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
Mvt 2 Sehr Langsam - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
Mvt 3 Sehr Bewegt - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
Mvt 4 Sehr Langsam - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
Mvt 5 in Zarter Bewegung - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
I Massig - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
II Leichtbewegt - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
III Ziemlich Fliessend - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
IV Sehr Langsam - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
V Ausserst Langsam - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
VI Fliessend - Pro Arte Quartet Of the University Of Wisconsin
Mvt ! Adagio - Kolisch Quartet
Mvt 2 Adagio - Kolisch Quartet
Mvt 3 Allegro - Kolisch Quartet
Mvt 4 Andante - Kolisch Quartet
Mvt 5 Menuetto - Kolisch Quartet
Mvt 6 Andante Molto- Allegro - Kolisch Quartet

Customer Reviews:

Historical Documents For Specialists & Collectors.......2005-06-17

This Music & Arts CD set (6 discs for the price of four) contains what can be rightly regarded as "urtext" performances of Schoenberg, Berg, Webern and Bartok. It is in honor of a modern music pioneer, Rudolph Kolisch (1896-1978), the Austrian violinist whose sister was married to Schoenberg. Due to an accident as a boy that cost him about half the middle finger on his left hand, Kolisch became a violinist who bowed with his left hand and played with his right. Obviously he could not play in an orchestra without inflicting damage, so Kolisch dedicated his career to chamber music, primarily of the New Vienna School.

Amazon has only displayed the musical tracks here without identifying the works. There is so much here that I can only address the contents with brief remarks. Despite extremely variable sound, there are some genuine treasures in this set. They will surely appeal to anyone who is interested in the history of performance practice and in hearing how Kolisch and his associates interpreted these works, several of which they premiered. This set comes with a 47 page booklet that includes an appreciation of Kolisch by pianist Russell Sherman (who studied with Schoenberg pupil Eduard Steuermann), an encylopedic and illuminating essay by Tully Potter on the Kolisch Quartet (and the later Pro Arte Quartet led by Kolisch), and extensive notes on the music itself, much of it written by another Schoenberg pupil (conductor Rene Leibowitz).

CDs 1 & 2 contain the first-ever 1936-37 recordings of Schoenberg's four string quartets (composed 1905, 1908, 1927 & 1936) by the Kolisch Quartet (Rudolf Kolisch, Felix Khuner, Eugen Lehner, and Benar Heifetz, with soprano Clemence Gifford in #2). Included are two brief speeches by Schoenberg. These recordings were sponsored by the wealthy film composer Alfred Newman for the purpose of preserving Schoenberg's works and Kolisch's interpretations for posterity. They were issued on private edition 78 rpm discs, and (not mentioned in the notes) they were briefly available on 4 ALCO LPs in the 1950's. I saw that extremely rare set for the first time recently in San Franciso at a collector shop that has a thriving mail-order business overseas. The asking price: $500! So if the music interests you, this M&A set is a genuine bargain! These performances have also been issued on the Swiss CD label Archiphon, but reportedly the transfers are poorly-pitched and overly-filtered.

CD 3 has 1950 recordings of Schoenberg's 3rd Quartet and Berg's Lyric Suite by the Pro Arte Quartet of the Univ. of Wisconsin (Kolisch, Rahier, Milofsky, & Fiedlander) that were once on the Dial LP label.

CD 4 features a "live" 1967 recording of the Schoenberg Violin Concerto with Kolisch and the Wisconsin Festival Orchestra conducted by Leibowitz, an 8 minute interview with Kolisch, and a 1966 live Kolisch performance of the Bartok Sonata for Solo Violin (I regard this disc as an utterly essential item). My other favorites here: Krasner/Mitropoulos (Columbia LP) in the Schoenberg, and Robert Mann's incredible Bartok (available on the internet for $17 from Bartok Records).

CD 5 has a 1945 recording of the Pro Arte Quartet playing Bartok's 5th String Quartet, a 1966 account of the Schoenberg Fantasie (Kolisch with pianist Gunnar Johansen), and the early & unnumbered (1897) Schoenberg String Quartet in D major (Pro Arte Quartet 1952). The latter work is atypical: it sounds very Brahmsian, with a dash of Dvorakian melody tossed in.

CD 6 has three 1950 Pro Arte items that were originally on Dial LPs: Webern's Five Movements for String Quartet op. 5 and Six Bagatelles for String Quartet op. 9, plus a "live" 1940 reading by the Kolisch Quartet & friends of Schubert's Octet. The latter is rather poorly-played and utterly lacks the old world charm of the wonderful Vienna Konzerthaus (Preiser CD).

My own journey to appreciating Schoenberg was a rocky climb. My piano teacher (from age 9 to age 18) regarded Schoenberg as the Devil incarnate who ruined Western music. I also studied viola for a few years with a teacher who held Schoenberg in utter contempt. And my college girlfriend's viola teacher was Robert Gross (a Hindemith pupil), and he was no Schoenberg fan either. But in 1970 I heard Lorin Maazel & the New Philharmonia (on my first visit to Carnegie Hall) perform the Op. 31 Variations for Orchestra, and I was simply astonished at the work's power & genius. In general, I find Berg & Webern easier to listen to, but Schoenberg's music in sympathetic performances is quite simply superb.

Probably the easiest place to start is with Schoenberg's tonal works like Verklarte Nacht (try Stokowski's on a Bridge CD or the original sextet version by the Hollywood Quartet on Testament), his Chamber Symphonies (#1 with Scherchen on Tahra, and #2 with Prausnitz on EMI - see my review of the latter), and Gurrelieder (my favorite is still the old Leibowitz on Preiser CD, despite rough playing & mono sound - its wonderful singers included Richard Lewis and Ethel Semser). Unfortunately, my favorite performance of the marvelous "Pierrot Lunaire" (Semser with Leibowitz) is on a long-gone Westminster LP. The piano works are also very gratifying, especially as done by Steurermann (Columbia LP), Jacobs (Nonesuch CD), and Helffer (a superb Harmonia Mundi 3-CD set that also has piano pieces by Debussy & Bartok).

While the sound of this M&A set is saddled with often noisy originals (the best-sounding items are the ones taken from Dial LPs), the performances here are revelatory. Once heard several times, the Schoenberg string quartets are very nearly as accessible as Bartok's (although the latter's are resolutely tonal, and their over-all superiority is, to my ears, partly a function of greater rhythmic drive & folk music elements). The dreamy and haunting Quartet #2 is unique for its use of a soprano voice (excellently sung here). All in all, I still prefer the greater virtuosity of the Juilliard Quartet's magnificent 1950's set (with soprano Uta Graf) on wonderful-sounding mono Columbia LPs that disgracefully remain in LP limbo. But I DEFINITELY will keep these Kolisch readings. Likewise, I still prefer the Juilliard's recordings of the Bartok Quartets from 1950 (Pearl CD - see my review) & from 1963 (out of print Columbia LPs). The Juilliard's Schoenberg & Bartok cycles strike me as the very finest modern music quartet recordings ever made.

The Berg Lyric Suite here joins the extraordinary 1936 Galimir Quartet's (coupled on a Testament CD with Louis Krasner's greatest-ever Berg Violin Concerto, with the BBC Symphony conducted by Anton Webern) and the mono RCA LP version with the Juilliard as the work's finest-ever accounts. I have never heard Schoenberg's Violin Concerto sound so ingratiatingly like Berg's concerto as it is here with Kolisch & Leibowitz (despite rather poor sound and occasional slips by Kolisch - he was age 70!). And Bartok's solo violin sonata, played with the last mvt. microtone harmonics that were edited out by Menuhin (who commissioned it) is spellbinding, despite some rough playing (it reminds me of Enesco's mesmerizing Bach recorded when he was old and suffering from arthritis). The interview with Kolisch about this last work is fascinating.

If you have difficulty in digesting the 12-tone method, as many people do, here's a simple suggestion: buy or rent the DVD of Nicholas Ray's superb film "Rebel Without A Cause," starring the short-lived James Dean. It's visually brilliant (Ray's use of the color red is downright iconic) and the music, especially in the Planetarium sequence, is utterly riveting. The film's music was composed by Leonard Rosenman (pupil of Schoenberg & Sessions), and nearly the entire score is in the manner of Berg and Schoenberg! Gorgeous recorded excerpts from Rebel & Rosenman's score for East of Eden can be heard on a Nonesuch CD (see my review). Another illuminating resource is the 2002 book "Arnold Schoenberg's Journey" by Allen Shawn (available at Amazon).

This set's old sound will likely be of limited appeal to general listeners. But for collectors & specialists in this music, what is heard here will be an enduring source of wonder and inspiration.

Highly recommended to the curious few.

Jeff Lipscomb

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