# Schoenberg discussion and recommendations



## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Contrary to people wanting uplifting music in these trying times, I'm kinda craving some atmospheric and dark music with a lot of grit to help enhance the peacefully purgatorial vibes on my night walks. I've been listening to Schoenberg. The 5 orchestral pieces and the Piano concerto hit me pretty well a few nights ago, and you can spend time on those works. I know Transfigured night, Pelleas and Melisande. Any other recommendations? Also, tell me something about the piece and why you like it.


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## Dedalus (Jun 27, 2014)

But Schoenberg's music *is* uplifting.


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## Richannes Wrahms (Jan 6, 2014)

I recommend Erwartung, just for the harmonies that range from incredibly beautiful to terrifying. I'll leave to others to ponder on the powerful drama.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Dedalus said:


> But Schoenberg's music *is* uplifting.


I see you trying to incite controversy, lol.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I just listened to the violin concerto. Really liked. As I was walking outside towards the end of it looking at people's gardens the visuals of it went with all the plants.


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

clavichorder said:


> I see you trying to incite controversy, lol.


I really don't think s/he is.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

flamencosketches said:


> I really don't think s/he is.


I know him, he's one of my internet homies. Believe me, he is, lol. We are experienced button pushers and I know it when I see it.

To clear things up, my emotional reaction to some Schoenberg need not hold true for everyone. Maybe to you it's uplifting and that's okay. I vascilate between feeling like I'm in this intriguing purgatory and my mind being able to readily generate visuals for all the textures and orchestrations that are really quite colorful at points in the music(describing my experience with the piano and violin concertos specifically, which have a structure I enjoy) But lets keep this a recomendation thread.


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## Knorf (Jan 16, 2020)

My favorite Schoenberg, beyond what you mentioned:

Chamber Symphony No. 1, op. 9
String Quartet No. 2, op. 10
Variations for Orchestra, op. 31
Die Jakobsleiter
Three Piano Pieces, op. 11
Serenade, op. 24


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## Dedalus (Jun 27, 2014)

Really, it's both. I both believe what I said and think it might provoke interesting conversation.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I really like Schoenberg's orchestration, especially in the 5 orchestral pieces, but also in the two concerti.


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## Caryatid (Mar 28, 2020)

I've always quite liked the Phantasy for Violin and Piano, Op. 47. It's austere, but it shows his twelve-tone style at complete maturity. It's apparently the last purely instrumental music he wrote, and there's a certain concision. I hear the influence of Webern, which is a merit. 

The best known recording is with Glenn Gould, but I'd probably seek out a newer version for the better sound.


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## Lilijana (Dec 17, 2019)

Not Schoenberg, but another more conservatively styled composer who has composed some music (sometimes described as _New Smiplicity_) which I think would also be fitting. This is _Two Other Movements,_ which I think fits well as being both 'atmospheric' and 'dark' in the ways Schoenberg was quite good at.






Even darker is this (although maybe the subject matter could be a little bit too dark): _Requiem für einen jungen Dichter_ by B.A. Zimmermann. Atmospheric though? I'd say so!






For some actual Schoenberg, I'll leave you with one of my favourite orchestral works of his: his variations for orchestra.


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## Dedalus (Jun 27, 2014)

Caryatid said:


> I've always quite liked the Phantasy for Violin and Piano, Op. 47. It's austere, but it shows his twelve-tone style at complete maturity. It's apparently the last last purely instrumental music he wrote, and there's a certain concision. I hear the influence of Webern, which is a merit.
> 
> The best known recording is with Glenn Gould, but I'd probably seek out a newer version for the better sound.


> purely instrumental
>Glenn Gould


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Although not strictly by Schoenberg, it's as much his work as Brahms and a piece of music I really, really enjoy. Exhilarating at times, and ends in a minor key if that's dark enough. Many fine recordings of it, but this one has real panache.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

I've heard that piece. Pretty cool orchestration.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

mbhaub said:


> Although not strictly by Schoenberg, it's as much his work as Brahms and a piece of music I really, really enjoy. Exhilarating at times, and ends in a minor key if that's dark enough. Many fine recordings of it, but this one has real panache.
> View attachment 133130


The Brahms-Schoenberg transcription is really good....I have the early 60s Craft/CSO recording, which is really awesome...Reiner's orchestra, just before they started recording with Martinon.


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## camus (Jun 24, 2010)

String quartets


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

I have a love for *Transfigured Night*, especially the old Vox recording from Horenstein -- muddy sound, bad transfers and all. I find it far more passionate and having more profound and greater resolution than the 1953 premere marketed by Pristine -- that sounds better but is more superficial.









*Gurrelieder* is an interesting piece of music too especially if not played too often. It's the one thing Seiji Ozama did well.

I don't find any other compositions from Schoenberg as fetching though I have enjoyed the *Wind Quintet* a time or two. I sometimes enjoy the two *Chamber Symphonies *.

Hilary Hahn's version of the *Violin Concerto* tries valiantly to warm a cold heart in my opinion.


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## Janspe (Nov 10, 2012)

I'm currently insanely into the _Gurre-Lieder_ because of a live concert experience last autumn. Something about the piece also fits to my current mood, especially the narrator part describing the awakening nature, leadning to the incredible outburst of the choral climax. Just thinking about it makes me happy!

I've been feeling an urgent need to revisit some other Schoenberg scores too, especially _Pierrot lunaire_ which I have "kept on the shelf" for some time.


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## EmperorOfIceCream (Jan 3, 2020)

I think the darkest Schoenberg pieces are Op. 11 Drei Klavierstück, _Pierrot Lunaire_, _A Survivor from Warsaw_, and _Moses und Aron._ Also you should listen to the Book of Hanging Gardens, which is Schoenberg's freely atonal book of songs which is beautiful and very atmospheric. And dark in a different sense is _Ode to Napoleon_, which is a voice and chamber piece set for Byron's satirical poem about Napoleon.


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

I recently went through a phase where I was really into the solo piano music. My favorites are the op. 11 and the 6 little pieces, op. 19, though all of them are good. 

If you really want to dive deep then try the String Trio. It's probably his darkest and most uncompromising work.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I must say that I find most of Schoenberg's works very satisfying. I don't think dark describes much of what he did (although he could do dark) and it is long since I found any of his music difficult or uncompromising. Deciding to play one of his works is not really different to deciding to play, say, a Brahms work. Yes, there are not really any big tunes but the music is wonderfully constructed and very powerful. I really think it is high time that we got over our custom of treating his music as something that is a hair shirt experience. It is OK not to like it - there are members who don't like (or even hate) Handel, Mozart, Schubert and others - but it is surely not normal.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

This is the last bit of Schoenberg I enjoyed


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

I love Schoenberg, one of my favorite composers....some favorites ottomh:
5 Pieces for Orchestra
Variations for Orchestra
Pelleas &Melisande
3 Pieces for Orch
Violin Concerto
Piano Concerto
Moses and Aron
Chamber Sym #1


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Really enjoyed 4 and 5 of Verklarte Nacht.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

In addition to his famous orchestration of the Brahms' Piano Quartet Schoenberg along with his pals from the Second Viennese School wrote reductions of lots of stuff including Strauss waltzes.

The best recording of those I know by Ensemble 13 Baden Baden came back in the digital era on an expensive Japanese CD:









Schoenberg also wrote a reduction for Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde.


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