# Arnold Schoenberg



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I'm addicted to a collection of piano music by Schoenberg, performed by Pollini, and find it curiously relaxing and peaceful.

I think it's some really beautiful work, and it calms me after a hard day of work.

Any other recommendations of other Serial works I should take a listen to?


----------



## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

The Piano Variations, Op 27 (1936) by Anton Webern, Schoenberg's student, is a good place to start. The on video performance below features Glenn Gould at the piano. The imagery is perhaps as "strange" as the music, but quite fitting, too. A beautiful work, beautifully performed.


----------



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

SONNET CLV said:


> The Piano Variations, Op 27 (1936) by Anton Webern, Schoenberg's student, is a good place to start. The on video performance below features Glenn Gould at the piano. The imagery is perhaps as "strange" as the music, but quite fitting, too. A beautiful work, beautifully performed.


This is very playful to me, and comes of as a comedy the way Gould performs it here. I like it!


----------



## derin684 (Feb 14, 2018)

Since you already know and like his solo piano works,

Schoenberg-string quartets Opp. 7, 10, 30, 37(The first two are tonal)-I did not include the D Major quartet
Schoenberg-Piano Conerto, Op 42
Schoenberg-Serenade, Op. 24
Schonberg-Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21

Other than these, there are a lot of Schoenberg's, Berg's, Webern's works that you might like, just click and listen to them via Youtube or any other streamer you use. Hope this was helpful for you.


----------



## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

*Webern*´s tiny Klavierstück, im Tempo eines Menuetts (1925) played by Zimerman is absolutely fantastic too.
https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/cat/4576372 Sample: CD6, track 14

Moving on to other, lesser known composers, maybe try for example *George Perle*´s piano works and piano concertos, that tend to have a lyrical vein 

















*Per Nørgård*´s Concerto in Due Tempi (give it several listens, very fresh when you now it better),

*Charles Wuorinen*, whose music tends to be very energetic however,





and *Milton Babbitt*, such as


----------



## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Boulez's solo piano music might work for you. There are three sonatas and also a piece called 12 Notations. I enjoy Carter's Piano Sonata but it is a very early work and almost romantic. Feldman wrote quite a lot of very worthwhile solo piano (and two piano) music. Then, Pollini's Nono CD is a classic. And, aside from all these and really on a very different tack, there is Ligeti. Who can resist his Etudes?


----------



## Guest (Aug 4, 2018)

I can't hear the difference between serial music and non-serial music really, so I guess I could mention some composers whose piano music comes from a similar late Romantic aesthetic: Scriabin, Berg, Busoni, Roslavets.

Music that is actually uses serial techniques.......well I would probably mention anything by Boulez, but also I will recommend Smith-Brindle's _El Polifemo de Oro_, Dallapiccola's _Quaderno Musicale di Annalibera_, Stockhausen's _Gruppen_, Searle's symphonies 1 and 5 (and heaps of other pieces), Perle's first piano concerto, Stravinsky's _Threni_, _Requiem Canticles_, _Movements for Piano and Orchestra_, Luigi Nono's _Il Canto Sospeso_ and probably other stuff I have forgotten.


----------



## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Does anyone enjoy Babbitt’s piano music? (I don’t) or Barraqué’s (I do) or Meesaien’s etudes? (I’m not sure) 

For the opening post, I suggest Ferneyhough’s Lemma, Icon, Epigraph.

(I’ll also add that I’ve never been hooked by Pollini’s Schoenberg, I can of 5 other pianists who I’d rather hear before Pollini’s DG for Schoenberg, even though I can hear it’s accurate, I find it inhuman.)


----------



## Guest (Aug 4, 2018)

Mandryka said:


> Does anyone enjoy Babbitt's piano music? (I don't) or Barraqué's (I do) or Meesaien's etudes? (I'm not sure)


I'm not a huge fan of Babbitt's piano music either. Despite his quasi-research approach to composition, his piano compositions seem like a young composer trying out serialism for the first time. The emphasis seems to be on the _idea_ rather than the _music_, which I think is typical for many American serialists and experimentalists in the 20th century anyway. Stuff like _Philomel_, however, knocks my socks off.


----------



## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Mandryka said:


> Does anyone enjoy Babbitt's piano music? (I don't) or Barraqué's (I do) or Meesaien's etudes? (I'm not sure)
> 
> For the opening post, I suggest Ferneyhough's Lemma, Icon, Epigraph.
> 
> (I'll also add that I've never been hooked by Pollini's Schoenberg, I can of 5 other pianists who I'd rather hear before Pollini's DG for Schoenberg, even though I can hear it's accurate, I find it inhuman.)


*Babbitt* is more varied in his style than one could think, the string work _Transfigured Notes_ is a rather beautiful work inspired by late Romanticism (



), if one likes that period, and there´s variety to the piano works too. I agree that there can be a coldness to much of his music, & tend to listen to it in small, refreshing doses. But I also find it hard to connect with *Ferneyhough* due to its intellectualism as well. I do have the_ Lemma_ ... in the Damerini recording, there´s something to it, but I haven´t listened much to it.

As regards *Messiaen*´s piano works, I like a quite melodical approach, rather than a percussive or restless; Batagov´s somewhat creative recording of_ Vingt Regards _ ... was very uplifting in that respect. I remember hearing considerable differences in recordings of the _Etudes_ as well, but don´t remember the pianists right now.

Concerning *Schönberg*´s piano works, Boffard is next on my list of buyings, he seems quite romantically coloured, yet with much clarity and freshness too, a splendid release. I´ve got Gould, Buquet (good), Hill, plus some Rosen, E. Steuermann, Lubimov.

I do have an old recording of* Barraque*´s Sonata, but haven´t gotten really into it. I think I can hear some motifs and ambitious structures in it, however.


----------



## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

shirime said:


> I'm not a huge fan of Babbitt's piano music either. Despite his quasi-research approach to composition, his piano compositions seem like a young composer trying out serialism for the first time. The emphasis seems to be on the _idea_ rather than the _music_, which I think is typical for many American serialists and experimentalists in the 20th century anyway. Stuff like _Philomel_, however, knocks my socks off.


I know someone who was really inspiring about Babbitt's piano music, he would use words like "elegant" and compare them to Scarlatti. It would always send me off enthusiastically to listen but somehow the music just never became important in my life.


----------



## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

joen_cph said:


> *Babbitt* is more varied in his style than one could think, the string work _Transfigured Notes_ is a rather beautiful work inspired by late Romanticism (
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Buquet was a recent discovery for me, I like it very much. I like the music very much in fact, I prefer it to most other early 20th century composers. I've also been really enjoying Peter Serkin play this stuff, and it's always rewarding to hear Steuermann.

It's a shame there isn't more solo piano music by Webern .


----------



## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

Re Babbitt.

What u talkin' about?  Even this ridiculously technical piece in its use of the technique really grooves and swings: Semi Simple Variations.

What about this one, which I like too: Reflections


----------



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Thanks for all the music to check out, I will do so!


----------



## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

As per the original post, some "beautiful and calming Schoenberg" is required? That's quite a challenge! Not mocking, it's nice to see someone respond thus to what is primarily music of Emotions, though....

It may not be considered echt-Schoenberg, and definitely not serial, but Verklarte Nacht (ideally the sextet version) would be ok. The string quartets and the Trio are stunning. 

My favourite Schoenberg has to be Moses und Aron, a major major opera. Do also try the harrowing but in the final analysis uplifting and inspiring Survivor from Warsaw too.


----------



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Robert Pickett said:


> As per the original post, some "beautiful and calming Schoenberg" is required? That's quite a challenge! Not mocking, it's nice to see someone respond thus to what is primarily music of Emotions, though....
> 
> It may not be considered echt-Schoenberg, and definitely not serial, but Verklarte Nacht (ideally the sextet version) would be ok. The string quartets and the Trio are stunning.
> 
> My favourite Schoenberg has to be Moses und Aron, a major major opera. Do also try the harrowing but in the final analysis uplifting and inspiring Survivor from Warsaw too.


No, I just found that album I have to be calming and beautiful.


----------



## BiscuityBoyle (Feb 5, 2018)

There's a miniature serial piano concerto by Stravinsky that I find really beautiful






Also I discovered the relatively little known Soviet composer Nikolai Karetnikov, who wrote in the serial idiom but not very strictly, as far as I can follow. His being Russian might also have something to do with this, but I feel like there's more color and atmosphere to his music than in your "typical" serialist stuff...


----------



## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I'm addicted to a collection of piano music by Schoenberg, performed by Pollini, and find it curiously relaxing and peaceful.
> 
> I think it's some really beautiful work, and it calms me after a hard day of work.
> 
> Any other recommendations of other Serial works I should take a listen to?


Try Webern's lieder. They're available on the Sony complete works, or the DG.


----------



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I love Symphony Op. 21 by Webern.


----------

