Arnold Schoenberg discussion, favorite works, recordings, etc...

[Late]

18 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Also not that a fair amount of the material here was recorded for and released by Ross Russell & Dial Records.

Right. That's the 1950 stuff. I haven't even gotten there with this particular go-through. The 1936 recordings make Schoenberg sound like Ravel. They're just beautiful. They were made in Hollywood at the United Artists soundstage. Private pressings, one of which was eventually given to Schoenberg's neighbor, George Gershwin.
 

[Larry Kart]

The Kolisch Quartet performances are as you say, but I'd also recommend checking out the performances by the Fred Sherry Quartet on Naxos. They're the best "modern" recordings, better than the Arditti IMO and less expensive too..

[bebopbob]

Recordings not yet on CD after all these years!!

String Quartets - Juilliard String Quartet with Benita Valente recorded in the 1970s

The Music of Arnold Schoenberg- Columbia Masterworks 2LP box sets issued in the 1960-1970s- this would surely make a great Sony Classical box set 

[HutchFan]

It was great to read this thread and hear from others.  There's so much musical expertise and musical love on this forum.  It's inspiring.  I don't know a great deal about Schoenberg.  I should probably dig deeper. 

That said, these are some Schoenberg recordings that I know and enjoy:

- Verklärte Nacht (sextet); Trio / Juilliard SQ, Walter Trampler, Yo-Yo Ma (Sony)

- Verklärte Nacht (orch.); Pelleas und Melisande / Karajan, BPO (DG)

- Gurrelieder / Sinopoli, Staatskapelle Dresden, et al (Teldec) and/or Craft, Philharmonia O, et al (Koch/Naxos)

- Piano Works / Pollini (DG)

- Piano Concerto w/ Brendel; Violin Concerto w/ Zeitlin / Kubelik, BRSO (Universal/DG) -- coupled with Szyerng's recording of Berg's VC

- A Survivor from Warsaw; Variations for Orchestra; Five Pieces for Orchestra / Boulez, BBC SO, et al (Columbia LP)

 

[David Ayers]

On 20/05/2013 at 10:09 PM, Rooster_Ties said:

 

 

My four favorites, all of which developed over many years time (none of them instantly) are...

• Serenade, Op. 24 - for clarinet, bass clarinet, mandolin(!), guitar, violin, viola, and cello - plus a bass vocalist (on one movement only)
• Wind Quintet, Op. 26 - for standard wind-quintet: flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon
• Suite, Op. 29 - for sopranino clarinet in Eb, standard Bb clarinet, bass clarinet, vioin, viola, cello, and piano
• ...plus Webern's chamber arrangement of Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony #1, Op. 9 - for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano

 

Following RT all the way today. My ancient David Atherton CD of Suite and Wind Quintet is on repeat play, with his Pierrot Lunaire and Serenade lined up for tomorrow. 

[Rooster_Ties]

Seeing this thread just pop up, I’ve now got this going on the Hi-Fi here, even with Mrs. Rooster working across the room on her laptop...

• Webern's chamber arrangement of Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony #1, Op. 9 - for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano

[HutchFan]

Based on Larry's recommendation, I'm now listening to Schoenberg's String Quartet No. 3 by the Fred Sherry Quartet. 

It's the first time I've listened to this composition.  ... The recording is available for streaming on Amazon if you're a Prime member.

 

Prompted by this thread, last night I re-read the chapter on Schoenberg in Alex Ross' The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century.  Such a good book.

[Marzz]

On 5/20/2013 at 2:09 PM, Rooster_Ties said:

I'm really surprised we've never had a thread dedicated to Arnold Schoenberg. I've really grown to deeply love a few of his works -- oddly enough, mostly all chamber works with at least some winds. But, I certainly do NOT love everything by Arnold (not by a long shot) -- for instance, I've never gotten my ears around the string quartets (though I've tried quite a number of times).

 

My four favorites, all of which developed over many years time (none of them instantly) are...

• Serenade, Op. 24 - for clarinet, bass clarinet, mandolin(!), guitar, violin, viola, and cello - plus a bass vocalist (on one movement only)
• Wind Quintet, Op. 26 - for standard wind-quintet: flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon
• Suite, Op. 29 - for sopranino clarinet in Eb, standard Bb clarinet, bass clarinet, vioin, viola, cello, and piano
• ...plus Webern's chamber arrangement of Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony #1, Op. 9 - for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano

 

The Serenade op.24 was my very first exposure to Schoenberg way back in High School. My then Music teacher thought I'd be open minded enough to appreciate it and loaned me an LP. I hated it! Well, not hate actually, but thought it was just weird. Hey, I was a teenager after all. But I'm grateful he did that because I grew to love that work and Schoenberg of course. Bought a few versions of op.24 but never found that LP again until it was released on CD by Eloquence (Australia). Not the "best" version perhaps but brought back memories, happy to have it. It was the 1965 recording by the Melos Ensemble of London, cond. by Bruno Maderna, originally released & recorded by L'Oiseau-Lyre. Schoenberg on L'Oiseau-Lyre Records!!

Every teenager needs this...

Edited May 24, 2020 by Marzz

[Larry Kart]

maderna!!!

irrc that version (I may still have that lp) is on the slow side but loving and very musical,

[Larry Kart]

listened to it today. a great recording,  i think.   Schoenberg as MUSIC, not "modern music," if you know what I mean.

[Marzz]

Larry, that's a great description. Yes, Schoenberg as music! I just dug out the CD and playing it now. Looking at the notes I see that the op.24 was actually recorded in 1961 (not 1965 as I wrote above). CD actually includes 2 x L'Oiseau-Lyre LPs. There's also the 1965 recording of the Suite, op.29 plus Berg's Four Pieces op.5 (without Maderna). You probably have that one but here's a bargain Australian pressing for anyone interested. Can't last long at this price, 

https://www.discogs.com/Arnold-Schoenberg-Alban-Berg-The-Melos-Ensemble-Of-London-With-Gervase-de-Peyer-Clarinet-And-Lamar-C/release/11392286

CD cost me 10 bucks.

Edited May 25, 2020 by Marzz

[karlhenning]

Huge fan of Schoenberg! Great to see this thread.

[Larry Kart]

Late discovery for me. Die Jakobsleiter -- Kent Nagano. Boulez is good; this is better IMO, excellent tenor soloist. And what a work it is. 

[Rooster_Ties]

On 5/20/2013 at 5:09 PM, Rooster_Ties said:

BTW, has anybody ever done (more specifically, recorded) this with a MALE vocalist? Seems like in all the years this has existed (over 100 years as of last year), that at least somebody would have given it a go with a baritone (my preference), or perhaps tenor.

A re-inquiry (almost 6 years later) about whether anyone’s ever recorded a version of Pierrot Lunaire with a baritone, tenor — or even less likely, a bass.

As iconic a work as Pierrot is...

(and I’ve always assumed(?) it was THE best known of Schoenberg’s works — not “most performed”, but “best known”)

...I would have thought Pierrot with a male lead wouldn’t be so outlandish.

[JSngry]

It would take Ben Vereen or something.