Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht Op4; Chamber Symphony No2

On this CD:

1. Chamber Symphony No. 2 in E flat minor, Op. 38
Composed by Arnold Schoenberg
Performed by Ulster Orchestra
Conducted by Takuo Yuasa

2. Accompaniment to a Film-Scene (Begleitungsmusik zu einer Lichtspielszene), Op. 34
Composed by Arnold Schoenberg
Performed by Ulster Orchestra
Conducted by Takuo Yuasa

3. Verklärte Nacht, for string orchestra (arr. from String Sextet, Op.4)
Composed by Arnold Schoenberg
Performed by Ulster Orchestra
Conducted by Takuo Yuasa

Tracks:

I Prelude: Lento - Poco Piu Mosso - Lento
II Fugue: Adagio
III Scherzo: Allegretto
IV Intermezzo: Lento
V Finale: Allegretto
1 Spring Waltz: Allegretto
2 Waltz Scherzo: Allegretto Scherzando
3 Waltz: Tempo Di Valse
4 Waltz Charmaine: Allegretto
I Andante
II Allegro Non Troppo
III Largo
IV Allegretto

Tracks:

Langsam
Sehr Rasch
Viel Langsamer, Aber Doch Fliessend
Viel Langsamer
Etwas Bewegter
Ode To Napoleon Op.41 - Thomas Allen
Grave (Zwei Menschen Geh'n)
Poco Piu Mosso (Ich Trag Ein Kind)
(Sie Geht Mit Ungelenken Schritt)
Adagio (Das Kind, Das Du Empfangen Hast)
Adagio (Molto Tranquillo) (Er Lasst Sie Um Die Starken Huften)

Customer Reviews:

Warm and welcoming Shostakovich and Schoenberg.......2007-02-07

If you are not that familiar with the music of Shostakovich and Schoenberg -- as I was prior to this CD -- this is an excellent and friendly introduction. Both the Schoenberg and Shostakovich selections are among the composers' most accessible works.

Moreover, the Nash Ensemble has to be one of the finest chamber ensembles around. They play with exquisite command and finesse. And the Virgin engineers do a fine job of capturing their sound in a warm, ambient acoustic.

My first introduction to the Shostakovich Piano Quintet and Piano Trio was through a recording by the Borodin ensemble. Although their playing is beautiful and brought the music home to me, this recording by the Nash Ensemble is superior in part because the recorded sound is better and because the musicians seem to play with more vigor and commitment. The waltzes and the Piano trio round out the first disc with delightful and immediately appealing music.

The Schoenberg works are utterly remarkable. If you avoided Schoenberg because you were put off by his serial tonality, you don't need to avoid this CD. These works will convince you that Schoenberg was rooted in a romantic tradition prior to embarking on his serial tonal journey. The surprise jewel on this second disc was the Ode to Napoleon recited by Thomas Allen -- one can imagine it as a classical forerunner to rap music. I was particularly taken by how Schoenberg's harmonies could reach such moving climaxes in each of the works on this CD.

If you want to expose yourself to these composers to help develop an appreciation for their work, this is an excellent CD to obtain. I recommend it highly.

Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht Op4; Chamber Symphony No2

Average customer rating:

Schoenberg the Romantic

Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht Op4; Chamber Symphony No2

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

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

4-for-3 Soundtracks | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00004UFDJ
Release Date: 2000-09-26

Tracks:

Chm Sym No.2, Op.38: Adagio
Chm Sym No.2, Op.38: Con Fuoco, Lento
Accompaniment To A Cinematographic Scene, Op.34
Verklarte Nacht, Op.4: Grave (1/4 note = 46) -
Verklarte Nacht, Op.4: Poco Adagio (1/4 note = 54) -
Verklarte Nacht, Op.4: Adagio (1/4 note = 63) -
Verklarte Nacht, Op.4: Adagio (Molto Tranquillo) (1/4 note = 60)

Customer Reviews:

Schoenberg the Romantic.......2000-10-02

Of Arnold Schoenberg's two Chamber Symphonies, the Second has benefitted less than the first in the number of recordings; the First indeed has made many appearances on disc, going back to an early-1950s monophonic recording on Vox. Recent couplings have appeared, with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra on DG, for example, and flanking the Piano Concerto on Phillips. This new budget issue from Naxos gives us the Second Chamber Symphony in company with Verklärte Nacht and the rarely performed and recorded Accompaniment to a Cinematographic Scene, the composer's bid to secure studio-work in Hollywood. The Second Chamber Symphony, begun in 1906 but not completed until thirty years later, differs from the First, perhaps oddly, in being decidedly more romantic in spirit, which is why it makes a sensible disc-mate with Verklärte Nacht. The first of two movements, a brooding Adagio, is close in mood with Korngold in his darker manifestations (as in Die Tote Stadt); the second, longer movement, is a scherzo (con fuoco; lento), where Schoenberg explores fiery humors and a mood of bumptious rusticity with the likes of which he is not usually associated. In the final bars, however, the darkling Adagio returns for the last word. (No angst-ridden fin-de-siecle Viennese would want to gives us too much unadulterated Allegro!) The performance, under Takuo Yuasa leading the Ulster Orchestra, is assured and idomatic. The same can be said for the gorgeous string-polyphony of Verklärte Nacht, brought out here with convincing ripeness. The crucial transition to the final, reconciliatory section, is especially nicely calculated. The Accompaniment shows Schoenberg in a more modernist ("expressionist" is probably the mot juste) guise, but the performance brings out the kinship with the earlier, romantic scores. This disc represents a fine low-priced introduction to Schoenberg, for anyone who has not yet taken that intimidating plunge. (The water is not as cold as you might think.) Schoenbergians will want it for the committed readings, worthy to stand on the shelf alongside classic recorded performances, like those of Horenstein and Scherchen. I prefer Yuasa's warmth to Boulez's frigidity.

Music Track:

Recommended Music:

Music: The Best of Conway Twitty

Mack the Knife [Import]

Voices from the Oregon Trail

Under Glass//I Presume [Import]

The King Sessions

Troubadours [Import]

Violin Voyager

The Hand That Feeds [Import] [CD-single] [Limited Edition]

Treasure Chest

Todos A Cantar: Exitos De Chente, Vol. 1

The Fine Line

Re-Entry