Anton Webern's Langsamer Satz has an extra-musical dimension, conceived when he fell in love with his future wife, Wilhelmine Mörtl, with his diary entries reflecting this romantic period.
Compositional Technique
The First Kammersymphonie by Arnold Schönberg, though unsegmented, incorporates classical elements like sonata form, a scherzo, and a slow movement within its exposition, development, and recapitulation sections.
Album & Artwork
This album is the first of a two-part work, with a second CD featuring the same artists dedicated to Gustav Mahler and Max Reger, highlighting Schönberg's role as an arranger.
Composition History
Arnold Schönberg's Second Kammersymphonie was started in the same vein as his First, but he put it aside for a long time, inventing dodecaphony and serialism before returning to finish it.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Schönberg wrote a text called 'Wendepunkt' ('turning point') to be recited over his Second Kammersymphonie, describing his emotions and vulnerability, which contrasts with his usual image as a radical intellectual.
Composer Biography
Anton Webern wrote his Langsamer Satz in 1905, a year after he began studying with Arnold Schönberg, who encouraged him to focus on the string quartet for its complexity and fragility.
Recording & Production
This album features an 'all-star' orchestra formed from chamber musicians, including the Hanson, Hermès, and Magenta Quartets, along with soloists from major French orchestras.
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