Arnold Schoenberg - Variations Op. 31 {Chicago/Barenboim LIVE}

Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 1874 – 13 July 1951) was a Jewish Austrian composer, music theorist, and painter. He was associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School. By 1938, with the rise of the Nazi Party, Schoenberg's works were labeled degenerate music, because he was Jewish (Anon. 1997–2013). He moved to the United States in 1934.

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Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31 (1926-28)

Chicago Symphony conducted by Daniel Barenboim
live 6 October 2005, Orchestra Hall, Chicago.

Description by John Keillor [-]
Arnold Schoenberg's Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31, completed in 1928, is among a clutch of works composed from 1925-1928 in his neo-Classical style. These pieces include his Wind Quintet, Op. 26, Suite, Op. 29, String Quartet No. 3, Op. 30, and parts of his Suite for Piano, Op. 25. Neo-Classicism was not a step backwards in time when handled by Schoenberg, but rather an attempt to offer listeners structural points of reference with which they could identify. His treatment of the 12-tone system is always natural and approachable. The Op. 31 shares an easygoing spirit similar to his third string quartet. Neither work is especially intense, whereas the Op. 25, Op. 26, and Op. 29 share the composer's focused, fighting spirit. Both the Op. 30 and Op. 31 were written in Berlin during Schoenberg's professorship at the Prussian Academy of Fine Arts, where he replaced the recently deceased Busoni. The professorship in composition came with more perks and privileges than Schoenberg had previously known. The better living conditions were enough to relax some of his scrappier musical instincts. In a secure enough position to write comfortably, the ferocity of his genius gave way to elegance. Schoenberg's Variations for Orchestra include an introduction, 12 variations, and a finale. The character of each variation is distinct and occasionally the hammer of his intense spirit does assert itself, but so do episodes of playful ease. Variation 4, marked Walzertempo, is as gentle as a Viennese waltz, while the following variation bears the mark of a stern musical champion. These diverse affects cohere seamlessly, building a holistic world of sound from a tone row constructed of two hexachords of identical intervalic properties. The famous BACH cipher (B flat, A, C, B natural) is prominent as well.

The premiere of the Op. 31 featured the illustrious Wilhelm Furtwangler conducting the Berlin Philharmonic on December 2, 1928. Never before had such an important conductor taken on a concert work by Schoenberg or any other member of the Second Viennese School. The reviews were unfavorable but they did not interfere with Schoenberg's creativity as he launched into one of the most productive periods of his career.

[eddiezmanbb]

Schoenberg: Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31 (Chicago Symphony/Barenboim LIVE)

Introduction (0:01)
The music starts with 10 ticks over an eerie chord, emerges out of the mists, accompanied by fluttering trills on the wind instruments.
(m.9 something urgent) It rises to a congested climax where different forces seem to be contending, then relaxes into stasis, equilibrium. Following a massive climax, the trombone intones four notes, passing hints at (B♭-A-C-B♮), the BACH theme in German musical notation, which is to be so important in the finale.

Theme (1:50).
In its mid-range, cello-dominated sound, it forms a monochrome image from which pictures of riotous color. Using an elegiac, arching melody played by the cellos and surrounded only by slow chords, ending with poco rit (gradually faster). The theme uses three mirror versions of the 12-tone scheme (retrograde, inverted, and retrograde inverted), as well as in several transpositions.
For an analysis of the Theme Schoenberg's Variations for Orchestra see:

Variation 1: Moderato 72 bpm (2:52)
nervous, emotional, and jumpy; ending in a calando tempo= a gradual decrease in both the tempo and volume of a song

Variation 2: Adagio (Langsam = fairly slow 56 bpm) (4:00) m.82
mysterious, calm, canonic, and chamber-like in texture; ending in a poco calando tempo

Variation 3: Moderately (Mässig) 88 bpm (5:40) m.106
Stormy bright, rhythmically incisive, brassy, as if depicting a busy urban street, with an abrupt end and pause.

Variation 4: Waltz 144 bpm (6:20) m.130
elegant and waltz, dance-like tempo, with notable contributions from woodwinds and solo violin; flowing sounds contrasted with percussive rhythms.

Variation 5: Emotional (Bewegt) 112 bpm (7:32) m.178
pulsing rhythm, forceful and marching, floating sounds in flutes; m.195 Anfang = slow as in the beginning; m.190 Ruhig = in a calm and peaceful manner; m.200 steigernd = swelling; finishing off with powerful percussive blasts;

Variation 6: Andante 60 bpm (9:30) m.202
fragile and gentle, with slightly agitated solo work; contrasting interplay of instruments.

Variation 7: Langsam = fairly slow 60 bpm (11:00) m.238
elegant and calm, underpinned by strong bassoon and oboe tone giving a ethereal beginning, turning into a brooding sounding with rich interplay of instruments; m. bell like percussive sound leading us to an eerie passage and abrupt high notes finish.

Variation 8: Very quickly (Sehr rasch) 50 bpm (13:20) m.262
a scurrying, hard, frantic, percussive movement and ending with an industrial clatter of percussion;

Variation 9: Same tempo 44 bpm (L'istesso tempo) (13:50) m.286
butterfly-like flutes, adventurous wildlife themes, with a shadowy mirror canon.

Finale/Coda moderately fast (mäßig schell) 120 bpm (14:50) m.310
in 3/4 time, gets under way with a misty statement of the BACH theme, (B♭-A-C-B♮) in German musical notation m.344 grazioso=graceful, smooth, or elegant in style m.354 steigernd=increasing or swelling.

Grazioso (17:04) m.378
As it develops, that theme is stated repeatedly. Near the close, the music halts, and we hear a reminiscence of the variation theme.

Viel rascher (much faster) 160 bpm m.420

Variation theme Presto (18:35) m.435
now clothed in gentle, ruminative orchestration, as if meditating on the turbulent events it has passed through.

Noch rascher (Even faster) (19:00) m.472
ends holding on a complex chord

Adagio 3/4 time 92 bpm (19:30) m.502
misty, calm like variation 7

Coda presto 2/4 time (20:00) m.508
This gives way to a brief, crashing coda. (20:15) m.520

[composingwithjames]

Sometimes I wonder if the reason Arnold Schoenberg inspires so much hatred in some is, at least in part, because they associate him with certain later serialists. This composition is incredibly musical.

[EdoardoFittipaldi]

Thank you for posting it! Great performance!

[charlesreidy]

Thanks so much for taking the trouble to combine the score with the work. It's an amazing work, and a very interesting performance.

[ignorecorporatenews]

It's got a good beat and you can dance to it.

[scotgat]

According to Leonard Bernstein, this is an incredibly difficult work to play and one that is rarely performed. Thank you, Mr. Bartmans!

[Eva]

• «Интродукция»
• «Тема» - серия из 12 звуков. (1:50)
• Инверсия у скрипок в высоком регистре, завершающая раздел «Тема» (2:31)
• «Финал» начало (14:52)
19:32 - «реприза» темы и инверсии

[mark-j-adderley]

I was asked to analyze this work as a student. I brought a cassette with me to my maternal grandparents who over-heard me listening to this piece. My grandmother raised her eyebrows.

40 years later I am still baffled and perplexed by this wonderfully written and instrumentated work, but I still don’t know, at the age of 59, what on Earth is going on ?!

... variations on or over what ?

The series may be incorporated into the work, but if the average listener is unable to perceive it in its original form, and then in its variants, what is the point ? It sounds good, but then so does the run-of-the-mill pop tune.

[margaretfacemyer]

TwoSet: Mentions piece I've never heard before

Me: Immediately looks it up

Also me: 😅

[johnappleseed]

Its an incredible romantic work, everything pushed to the max across the course of the piece, unfortunately there aren't too many pieces this energized in his usually very tender output

[Anvanho]

Just totally love Variation #VIII!! But entire composition is awesome!!

[davidrehak]

Arnold Schönberg:Variációk Zenekarra Op.31
Bevezetés:Moderato, silenzioso - Qualcosa di urgente - migliorando - pesante - ritenuto Tempo I, calmo di nuovo 00:00
Téma: Molto moderato 01:52
1.Variáció:Moderato 02:52
2.Variáció:Adagio 04:04
3.Variáció:Moderamente 05:43
4.Variáció:Tempo di valse 06:19
5.Variáció:Allegro - Tranquillo - Come all'inizio - Tranquillo - migliorando - ritenuto pesante 07:33
6.Variáció:Andante 09:30
7.Variáció:Lento 10:55
8.Variáció: Molto veloce 13:21
9.Variáció: L'istesso tempo, ma un poco piú lento - Poco sostenuto - Tempo I - Poco sostenuto 13:56
Finálé: Moderamente veloce - ritenuto qualcosa di gratuito - a tempo - Poco pesante - Un poco piú veloce - migliorando - ritenuto - Molto ritenuto - a tempo - accelerando poco a poco - Poco pesante ritenuto - Grazioso - migliorando - a tempo - ritenuto a tempo - Grazioso - ritenuto - migliorando - Pesante - accelerando - Poco pesante - a tempo - Molto più veloce - ritenuto - Pesante - Presto - Pesante - Ancora piú veloce - Pesante - Adagio - ritenuto - Presto - Pesante 14:52
Chicagói Szimfonikus Zenekar
Vezényel:Daniel Barenboim

[pierreboland]

Une des oeuvres les plus originales du XXème siècle. Elle crée, comme quasi partout chez Schoenberg, une confrontation avec l'inquiétante étrangeté, la fluctuation permanente du minuscule et de l'énorme, la perte de repères mélodiques, la finesse des timbres. Cette oeuvre m'a impressionné dès la première écoute et n'a jamais cessé d'exercer sa magie.

[stueystuey]

Devastating. I am completely in awe. I believe Gerard stated this is the first work of pure dodecaphony? Or maybe not the first work but rather the one most studied in order to explore the methodology of dodecaphony. Screamin' good work. Just saw a bird fly by with 12 wings. I thought the doda bird was extinct. Glorious work. And truthfully underappreciated by me until a few days ago even though I had listened to it some 20 times or more previously. What i don't get and this is a true statement: how do you musicologists appreciate so.ething of this magnitude with only one or two listens. Takes me a long time. The "pitter patter" meandering structure has the feel of EC's Symphonia. Kinda twists and turns with random outbursts. I have listened to select pieces by Sch and Webern enough so that I I am aware of certain modes of composition like recapitulation, codas, aba(x) structure. This piece does appear to move note by note without any repetition whatsoever, an aspect of serial music that blows my mind. I'm probably dead wrong about all of this. But I write with conviction and determination which makes it true yeah?

[iianneill]

The early modernists certainly knew what they were doing ...

[fryingwiththeantidote]

very good recording here, props to the chicago symphony

[PointyTailofSatan]

It reminds me of the swooping of some great bird, or a strong wind, blowing through a deserted farm.

[josephsummer]

Bart, the score has been marked up with written pitches above the cello tenor clef! (Check out 2:24 for one of the examples.)

[Skidoo]

Mother! Oh God, mother! Blood! Blood!

[NovicebutPassionate]

Theodore Adorno (1903-1969), German musicologist, critic, composer, philosopher, sociologist, psychologist ranks this work as "the masterwork of modernism!"