performed by Maurizio Pollini (live performance below) I said to Webern: for my music you must have time. It does not suit people who have other things to do. But it is in any case a great pleasure to hear … Continue reading Schoenberg: Sechs Kleine Klavierstücke, Op. 19
performed by the Kohon Quartet (Bernard Zaslav was violist, and is a former member of the Fine Arts quartet, whose wonderful performance [and sole recording] of Babbitt’s third string quartet I recently got my hands on) It’s always odd looking … Continue reading Berg String Quartet, op. 3
performed by the Juilliard String Quartet find all the movements in this playlist on YouTube This piece has been revisited, and an updated article has been written. Please read it here. I’ll keep the original article (below) for posterity, but … Continue reading Webern: Fünf Sätze für Streichquartett, op. 5
This article has been marked as in need of a revisit. That’s where I feel like I didn’t do the piece justice or have more to say (usually because I didn’t know it nearly well enough or didn’t have the right perspective). I’ll keep the original article for posterity, but publish a new version that will eventually be linked here for my new take on it. performed by Maurizio Pollini That looks intimidating, those three links, but honestly, these pieces aren’t terribly overwhelming. In total, they come to about 13 or 14 minutes of music. Very delicious, important music. While … Continue reading Schoenberg: Drei Klavierstücke, op. 11
performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan Okay, before anyone gets their panties in a wad, this piece is NOT twelve-tone or atonal or anything. Let’s get that clear. In introducing the Second Viennese School (2VS), perhaps it is odd … Continue reading Anton Webern: Passacaglia, op. 1
Fugue for Thought 