performed by the Quatuor Diotima, or below by the Lasalle Quartet (cover image by Dhruv Weaver) Webern’s string quartet, the only work to be so labeled by him (even though he composed other things for four strings), is also his … Continue reading Webern String Quartet, op. 28
performed by Mitsuko Uchida, or below by Krystian Zimerman, or Pollini w/ the score (cover image by Mitch Lensink) Of all forms and structures of music, the variation form may be the easiest to understand: a theme… with variations, or … Continue reading Webern: Variations for Piano, op. 27
performed by Isaac Stern and Charles Rosen, or below by Kyung Wha Chung and Kevin Kenner It is always over before it starts… Webern’s father, about op. 7 (cover image by Glen Carrie) He wasn’t wrong. One of Webern’s early works, … Continue reading Webern: 4 Stücke für Geige und Klavier, op. 7
performed by the Quatuor Diotima, or below by the Juilliard Quartet playlist for the entire work here Qualifying Statements This is another revisit article, and one I’ve been meaning to rewrite for a long time. My previous articles on works … Continue reading Revisit: Webern’s 5 Sätze für Streichquartett, op. 5
with the Ensemble Quatrain Cologne and 陳必先 (Chen Pi-Hsien) Connections are a good thing to have. It took me some time to get into the system, to figure out how the ticket buying and membership-ing all works, but once you … Continue reading 2016 Innovation Series: Klassic Kindheit Concert
performed by members of the London Symphony Orchestra under Pierre Boulez, or the below with (members of) the Berlin Philharmonic also under Boulez Greater unity is impossible. Even the Netherlander didn’t manage it. In the fourth variation there are constant … Continue reading Webern: Symphony, op. 21
performed by the Juilliard Quartet Non multa sed multum (Not much in quantity, but much in content) A Deruchie We’re nearing the end of a long stretch of history (of course skipping over a lot) into the modern era, but … Continue reading Webern: Six Bagatelles, op. 9
I have come to love string quartets. It seems this group of four instruments has the perfect balance of succinct compactness, clarity, cohesion, and range of expression. There are times when a quartet sounds perfectly like a quartet, with four … Continue reading Some 20th Century String Quartets: A small series
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
How I got here: As stated on my About Me page, my interest in music was rooted in a fascination with the piano. It seems natural, then, that as I started to familiarize myself with classical music, the piano was … Continue reading Dodecaphony: Part 3
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 