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| 1. Schönberg : Chamber Symphony No.1 Op.9 |
| 2. Schönberg : Verklärte Nacht Op.4 |
| 3. Schönberg : Chamber Symphony No.2 Op.38 : I Adagio |
| 4. Schönberg : Chamber Symphony No.2 Op.38 : II Con fuoco |
I recalled the remark by Rudolf Serkin (in case that reassures you) that Schoenberg had the best musical mind he ever met (the second best being Donald Francis Tovey, in case that also reassures you). The music on this record is music with a strong intellect behind it, something you can say of any of the major classics. It is also -- trust me -- very attractive and listenable music. The first chamber symphony starts with some 'so there!' squawking harmonies. This is obviously not Brahms, but you are not far into the piece before his influence on the sound is becoming apparent. The second of them has a much higher opus-# so I braced myself for anything, but in the event it is similar in idiom to the first. I am now playing the pieces as background and for pleasure. The recorded sound is very good, the impact on the ear is very pleasant, the price is very low. Give it a try.
I was introduced to Schoenberg in college as the creator of "serial" or "twelve-tone" music; music that is not written in a certain key and sounds random at times, but is in fact very methodical.
The pieces on this CD are from a period when Schoenberg was experimenting with serialism and sometimes sounds "all over the place", but also has some very romantic moments. I discovered these at a National Symphony Orchestra concert where they were performed as part of a pieced-together score for the early silent film "Metropolis". It may not be a good CD for dinner parties or background music, but can be a good one to just sit down and listen to, contemplating the many moods it evokes.
Price- budget (great)
Playing/Sound- very good
Selection- very good
Liner notes- informative, not overly technical (very good)
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