Customer Reviews

Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht; Chamber Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The tonalities and harmonic structures Schoenberg used have the ablity to evoke ineffable emotions. His music never quite veers completely towards the cheerful nor towards the miserable side of the emotional spectrum. A little sunlight here, a dash of shadow there. It's a little moody, and thus open to voluminous interpretations. In nearly the same manner that an abstract impressionist painting may conjure up vastly unique experiences in two viewers, two people listening to the same Schoenberg piece at once will very likely say vastly different things about it. No salient melodies consistently pop out (as in Beethoven or Mozart). And no single mood tends to dominate.

The pieces on this disc demonstrate this aspect of Schoenberg perfectly. Newcomers to his music may find a foothold in the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra's interpretations. They never go too far, get mired in sentimentality, or launch off on wild rides of over emphasized dissonance. Schoenberg's music receives a fair, gimmick free performance here. And one that resonates listen after listen.

"Verklärte Nacht" probably stands as Schoenberg's most famous work. Its sheer beauty and tonality will probably shock first time listeners (who may expect spine curling tone clusters to shoot out from the speakers). Based on a poem of the same name about an illicit pregnancy, the piece rises and falls with the emotions of the text (included in the CD booklet). Some of its stunning passages may induce romantics to swoon (no "atonal revolution" here). Anyone who doubts the listenablity of Schoenberg needs to hear this incredible work. Orpheus, not surprisingly, plays the reworked 1943 version for Chamber Orchestra (though the original piece dates back to 1899).

The two Chamber Symphonies (from 1906 and 1939 respectively) start paddling down the road to the late Schoenberg. Glimpses of the future murmur through the arrangements. Still, nothing as wild as the famous Piano Concerto or the String Trio emerges. What does emerge reveals Schoenberg's gradual widening of western musical tonality. Sounds and emotions unimaginable back in the days of Wagner vibrate off the cochleas and cortex. But it may take a few listens to appreciate the nuances and stratifications built into these works. In the end, they're all beautiful and remarkable. The Second Chamber Symphony even ends on an unmistakably tonal chord of earth shaking power.

Anyone curious about Schoenberg's musical innovations can find a gentle introduction to them here. Nothing on this disc should rankle the ears of hardcore classicists. Quite the contrary, those interested in the fringes and extent of tonality will find much to linger on and think about in these three incredibly well played pieces.

What a GORGEOUS interpretation!
A riveting performance; Orpheus Chamber Orchestra have successfully managed to wear their collective heart on their sleeve AND play this excruciatingly emotional piece without turning it into mush. I can't imagine anyone's not being blown away by it.
Both Chamber Symphonies are beautifully played (I hadn't heard the second prior to purchasing this disk), although some listeners might not find them as accessible as Verklarte Nacht. Please note that I've also recommended Karajan's extraordinary Verklarte Nacht and Peter Eotvos' extremely vivid Chamber Symphony No. 1 (paired with a fabulous Pierrot Lunaire). If your collection demands only a single representation of any of these works, any of these will do, but I'm glad I have them all--the interpretations are so radically different from each other and are of such stellar quality that any threat of redundancy is eliminated.

Alright, so the title of the review is corny, forgive me, please. Normally, I prefer the original version of Verklärte Nacht for string sextet over the string orchestra setting, although both were done by Schoenberg so there is no question of authenticity. This is the only rendition of the string orchestra version that brings back what I usually miss from the sextet, and that is the ensemble's closeness. Verklärte Nacht is relentlessly intense up to the shift to D Major (which is, in my opinion, one of the finest modulations in all of classical music), and then broadly exultant for the rest of the work. Usually, a full orchestra will lose a good deal of this in their lack of absolute togetherness, but Orpheus holds it together as well as or better than most sextets. The solo work from the principal strings, especially the all-too-seldomly recognized Nardo Poy, viola, is exemplary.The first Kammersymphonie is presented in its original version for 15 soloists, although Schoenberg later expanded it for a larger orchestra. I will agree that it is not the easiest piece to listen to nor digest, nor is the second Kammersymphonie, however, Schoenberg's precision shines through brightly in both recordings here. One of the distinctions that places Schoenberg near the top of my list of favorite 20th century composers is his intricacy, which is often lost in orchestras with less of a sense of ensemble than Orpheus. Kudos to Mr. Dine, English Horn; Ms. Palma, flute; and the rarely heard Mr. Neidich, e-flat clarinet for adding extra shimmer to this already sterling recording.

All three works on the CD are wonderful, but the first Chamber Symphony is a truly breath-taking experience. If Schoenberg were ever doubted as anything but a first-rate musical genius (his atonal works, which ARE NOT the music on this CD, often left audiences cold), this recording would convince even the most skeptical listener of his immense talents. Transifigured night is shimmeringly magical- a true programmatic adventure- and a very sensitive and nuanced performance.

This is hands down one on the best recordings of Tranfigured night on the market. It is too bad that Mr. Denis Diderot didn't give this CD a chance, especially since he gave the same review of one star and the EXACT same paragraph to numerous other Schoenberg CD's. Regardless, Orpheus plays at their best here, and I highly recommend this to everyone.

I find it strange that Mr. Diderot has chosen to use the same exact one-star review so many times. Schoenberg's music can be difficult at times, but his review is most inappropriate in this instance (assuming it ever is appropriate). The works on this disc are among the most charming TONAL compositions Schoenberg ever wrote. Verklaerte Nacht has been recorded so many times that it is likely to be familiar to many listeners already. That said, Orpheus' reading ranks among the best, so tender is its playing. The real gem, however, is the 1st Chamber Symphony. Orpheus emphasizes the Straussian string writing above all else, smothing out a work that sits on the edge of tonality. Despite being one of the most raucous roller coaster rides ever written, Schoenberg gives the players(and the listener) ample opportunity to breathe before taking off again. It is hard to believe anyone could pack so many wonderful moments into a scant twenty minutes. The 2nd Chamber Symphony is an unjustly neglected work. More modest than the 1st, it nevertheless ends with an astonishly hair-raising finale that could have been written for an old movie score.

Many listeners who are new to the music of the so-called Second Viennese School (Schoenberg, Berg, Webern) might find this release a good introduction to the sound and characteristics of this type of music. However, I think it would help even more to listen to certain seminal works which came before the three presented on this excellent DG recording. First, listen to the original Dresden version (1845) of Wagner's Overture to TANNHAUSER (Solti/Decca), then listen to the Paris version (1861) of the same overture with the Venusberg Music (Karajan/EMI), and listen for the point at which the newer, more chromatic Venusberg Music begins. You should see the difference between the more "traditional" sound of the overture and the more harmonically complex music which Wagner added for the Paris version. Next, listen to the Prelude and "Liebstod" from TRISTAN UND ISOLDE (1859), (Karajan/EMI), which contains the famous "Tristan chord" of harmonically unresolved intervals, and then, finally listen to Schoenberg's "Transfigured Night" (1899), and you'll probably see the connection, the evolution of harmony from Wagner to Schoenberg. Actually, TRISTAN alone forms the true source of all the music of the three Viennese composers mentioned above. For example, Berg refers to it in his "Lyric Suite."


This recording by the Orpheus is certainly one of the finest of these three pieces, but I'd like to first mention certain others which might be interesting to listeners. First is the Julliard recording of the original sextet version of the tone poem "Transfigured Night" on Sony. Yo-Yo Ma and Samuel Rhodes join the quartet in a really wonderful rendition, which is coupled with the great String Trio, also in a fine performance. The Orpheus version is of Schoenberg's arrangement of the sextet for string orchestra, but is not one of the bloated versions for large string body. Of course, some may like it that way, so the Stokowski version is available, also.

Next, the two Chamber Symphonies are given an excellent rendition by conductor Michael Gielen (Phillips) with the Schoenberg Piano Concerto as coupling. Gielen is more brilliant and analytical in his approach to these thorny works, while Orpheus is more warmly Romantic. Both approaches work equally well, since both performances are equally well done.

Overall, the Orpheus version of these works is a fine companion with or contrast to the other versions mentioned, and the usual excellent DG sound and general production make this disc very attractive and highly recommeneded.

This disc is a must, first choice if you're considering any of the works presented here. Orpheus is inspired and inspiring at every turn, resulting in these magical performances that bear repeated listening. Verklärte Nacht loses nothing with the full ensemble version here, and the Kammersymphonien will leave you with goose-bumps (particularly #1). Worth twice the price...

And I think we're past the need to argue if Schoenberg ranks as a great composer or not; of course he is. Unfortunately, with no thanks to Diderot (whose bumbling, specious arguments sound suspiciously like those of an overzealously naïve graduate student), we're still hashing through this long-settled issue.

I'm normally not a big fan of the Orpheus chamber orchestra. This recording is an exception -- the orchestra's glassy tone and precise ensemble bring out Verklarte's ... tenderness, for lack of a better word. Every measure seems to be inspired by the orchestra's love of the music.

By the way, the "mediocre" Schoenberg will be remembered generations after the reviewer below (who borrows the name of Diderot) is long forgotten. No true mediocrity is ever remembered long.

the music contained on this cd is proof enough in and of itself that Arnold Schoenberg was a mediocre musical talent, and turned to composing in an alienist atonal style only after he could plainly see that he could not compete on tonal musical grounds with the likes of strauss, pfitzner, schreker, ravel, debussy, and the like. the man craved attention and success, and most of all, "historical significance" for himself, and therefore devised a system of composing that purposefully could not be understood, thus setting himself up as a pretended misunderstood "genius" in the romantic sense, and claiming that anyone who cried foul regarding his music was simply not sophisticated enough to comprehend his noise. Then he created a rigid mathematical system of organizing tones with no relation whatsoever to natural acoustics or the way human beings make sense of sound. If his ludicrous communistic regimentation of musical tones is not enough to prove that Schoenberg was a musical mediocrity at best, or incompetent at worst, then just listen to the garbage contained on this cd for confirmation.