A.Webern - Drei Lieder op. 18

Anton von Webern: 1883 - 1945
Performers: Christiane Oelze, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez.
Three Songs for guitar, e-flat clarinet and soprano (1925).
I - 00:11
II - 01:13
III - 02:33
Schoenberg invents the 12-tone technique in 1921, and was taken very early on by his pupil Anton Webern, whose song “Mein Weg geht jetzt vorüber”, from his 5 Geistliche Lieder op.15 (1922), would already be constructed according to this technique. However, during these few years of experimenting, Webern had not yet fully developed the full potential this technique could had (retrograde, cells, inversions...) therefore he applied it in a somewhat rudimentary way in this op.18, hearing the tone row repeatedly, but in different octaves, dynamics and rhythmic context. The instrumentation of this work is very unusual and unbalanced, but its roots lie in the rural quality of timbres that Webern was so fond of, even in the poetry that he chose. The instrumentation is also influenced by Gustav Mahler (who also writes a song cycle on Der Knaben Wunderhorn), who had a frequent and characteristic use of the E-flat clarinet and also had a guitar part in his 7th symphony.
The first two texts are based on German and Austrian folk poetry while the third is a Marian Antiphon, and the second poem acts as a bridge between the first and the third, since it introduces the religious theme for the last text.
These songs were not heard publicly during the composer's lifetime, due to the highly challenging writing for the clarinet and soprano. Robert Craft conducted the songs' premiere on February 8, 1954, in Los Angeles, with Grace-Lynne Martin as the soloist.

[@NovicebutPassionate]

Beautiful! Webern: economy, and extreme concentration, among other things. So much music condensed in only a little over three minutes!

[@thorstentopp3824]

Christiane Oelze is world class. Reminds on Margaret Price in her increabible Altenberg Lieder by Berg, conducted by Abbado.

[@ozgurkaya2819]

Love watching your videos! Keep it up!

[@paulchristopher2135]

Fabulous.

[@WillMartinComposer]

This must've sounded to people in 1925 what Ferneyhough sounds like to us now. Such a great and unique piece!

[@stepanvalek3363]

it's crazy what he was able to do a hundred years ago, and to this day people find it indigestible

[@BrianJosephMorgan]

Astonishing.

[@l3vixz_edits]

Fazendo a lição tbm?

[@ydinodavi7278]

De artes aff

[@foxfoster1]

The guitar is playing way to softly. Most of the time it is marked the same dynamic as the clarinet

[@cronobactersakazakii5133]

Bierre Poulez … ha ha ! Good one

[@neiltalbott7744]

Interesting. A shame that the notes sung below the stave -such as middle C - seemed much quieter than the high notes. And the guitar is the underdog beneath top dog Clarinet.
Otherwise, an admirable performance.

[@alexistinsleypope9327]

To me it was not a good decision to have the guitar so far away from the centre of the mix.

[@adriangonzalez-ic9hy]

Espantoso. Felicitacines al silencio posterior a ultima nota.

[@NateSassoonMusic]

the vocal range and dexterity demanded is ridiculous
the sentiment of the text Webern sets does not come through to me at all through the music. I like other compositions by Webern though...

[@suzannederringer1607]

These are just horrible. I mean vocally. They're not expressive. All one can do is shriek.

[@postrock3374]

shut up susan

[@user-kt6ym7tn6u]

The singer is clearly singing here, no shrieking.