Verklärte Nacht

Featuring

Stuart Skelton
Edward Gardner
Christine Rice
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Franz Lehár
Oskar Fried

Arnold Schoenberg
Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Did you know?

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Compositional Technique

Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht, originally for string sextet, was arranged by the composer for orchestral strings in 1917 and revised almost until the end of his life.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Schoenberg's own analysis of his Verklärte Nacht revealed harmonic and motivic connections he was unaware of during composition, attributing them to his "industrious brain acting 'behind my back'."

Composition History

Franz Lehár's symphonic poem Fieber (Fever) was written in April 1915, likely prompted by his younger brother Anton's recovery from war wounds during World War I.

Historical Context

The poem 'Verklärte Nacht' by Richard Dehmel, which inspired both Schoenberg and Fried, was notorious in its day for its exposition of female sexuality, leading to obscenity and blasphemy charges.

Composition History

Oskar Fried, a composer three years older than Schoenberg, created his own orchestral version of Verklärte Nacht in 1901, which was his debut orchestral score.

Composition History

Arnold Schoenberg composed his Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) in 1899, but it was not performed until 1902 and published in 1905.

Composer Biography

Oskar Fried, the composer of one version of Verklärte Nacht on this album, concentrated on conducting and made the first recording of a Mahler symphony (the Second) in 1921.