In his 1937 essay ‘How One Becomes Lonely’, Arnold Schoenberg wrote that Verklärte Nacht (1899) allowed him to ‘enjoy (even among opponents) some appreciation which the works of my later periods would not have procured for me so soon’.Footnote ¹ He continued by asserting that his later compositional style, rather than deviating from that of Verklärte Nacht, was a continuation of it, albeit in a more condensed way. His argument refers back to Alban Berg’s similar sentiment in his 1924 essay, ‘Why Is Schoenberg’s Music So Difficult to Understand?’, published in honour of his teacher’s fiftieth birthday.Footnote ² Whether or not listeners agreed with Schoenberg’s assessment, Verklärte Nacht has remained a favourite for the past century. Heinz Holliger’s 2013 collaboration with the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra presents the work alongside Schoenberg’s Second Chamber Symphony Op. 38 (begun in 1906 and completed in 1939) and Anton Webern’s romantic string quartet classic, Langsamer Satz (1905). This performance gives a fresh interpretation of the Second Viennese School’s early romantic style that will attract listeners new to this repertory and provide a valuable addition to those who are already familiar with these pieces.

Although the sextet was initially reviewed unfavourably at its 1901 premiere, as early as 1905 Schoenberg’s childhood friend and music critic for Vienna’s Arbeiter Zeitung, David Joseph Bach, noted that the piece had become an unchallenged success.Footnote ³ Holliger and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra (hereafter OCL) perform the version of Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4 for string orchestra, originally arranged by Schoenberg in 1917 and then revised in 1943. Holliger and the OCL are undoubtedly performing from the 1943 revision. This later arrangement, which differs from the 1917 version primarily in dynamics, articulation and tempo, was considered by Schoenberg to provide a superior balance between the voices, more akin to the sextet. The preference for sextet or chamber orchestra version is largely a personal matter, but for those interested in hearing the expanded version, Holliger and the OCL have given a passionate and compelling reading of this modern classic. The OCL excels in its bass and cello sections and their strength is showcased in this arrangement. The full power of these low voices is shown especially well at 12:54. Schoenberg wrote Verklärte Nacht after a poem with the same title by contemporary Richard Dehmel, which explores a night-time encounter between an unnamed man and woman. In the poem, which roughly corresponds programmatically to the sextet, it is at this moment (12:54) that the unnamed woman despairs her situation: she is pregnant with the child of another man. Similarly, the man’s comforting D major response (16:52), which transfigures the woman’s theme into a new radiant key, is all the more resonant with the addition of double bass. As a result of these commanding low tones, themes in the lower register of the viola struggle to come to the fore, as at bar 29 (2:53), but this seems to be an issue of amplification rather than any fault of the performers.

Like Jakobsleiter and Gurrelieder, Schoenberg attempted to complete the Second Chamber Symphony many times throughout his life. He began the work in 1906, just days after completing the First Chamber Symphony Op. 9. A page in the so-called third sketchbook shows the opening theme with the date 1 August 1906 marked in pencil in the margins.Footnote ⁴ Despite returning to the work in 1907 and 1911, during what was an otherwise prolific period, the work was not finished until 1939, when Schoenberg received a commission from the New Friends of Music Orchestra (New York). Fritz Stiedry, who was the conductor of the orchestra, was Gustav Mahler’s assistant at the Vienna Hofoper, and had corresponded with Schoenberg at least as early as 1924 in his role as the director of the Vienna Volksoper. Contact with an acquaintance from a previous stage in his life, and one who was also committed to the performance and preservation of the Viennese musical tradition in America, may have spurred Schoenberg to reconsider a piece of his own personal musical past.

Where the rich aesthetic of Verklärte Nacht allows for a certain amount of indulgent wallowing in creamy harmonies and soaring melodies that combine Brahmsian developing variation and Wagnerian sequencing, the Second Chamber Symphony requires a driving force that this recording sometimes lacks. Part of this sluggishness can be attributed to slower tempi in both movements than those indicated by the score. In this way, this new recording stands in contrast to the 2008 release by Robert Craft (recorded 2000), which exhibits a greater fidelity to Schoenberg’s own tempi.Footnote ⁵ This OCL recording shines in the molto adagio of the second movement of Op. 38 (8:23 to end). Here the balance of the solo instruments is superb, and Holliger leads the chamber orchestra through the eye of the needle, so to speak, allowing each tone to speak and settle without losing the hierarchy and clarity of the Haupt- and Nebenstimme. Still, there are certain moments when one yearns for sharper articulation in the strings to match those presented in the woodwinds and brass, particularly in the first movement. Overall, the Second Chamber Symphony, like Verklärte Nacht, is played delicately but powerfully, and the moments of sparse texture are especially beautiful and well crafted.

Although chronologically closer to the Second Chamber Symphony Op. 38, Webern’s Langsamer Satz (1905) is stylistically nearer to Verklärte Nacht. The influence of Brahms is clear in the frequent juxtaposition of triplets against duplets, the cadenza-like moments, the transparent sonata form, the thematic treatment and the harmonic structure. In romantic style, Langsamer Satz presents its second theme on the chromatic mediant (C major) of the home key (E-flat major). The work was not premiered until 1962, but it quickly became a favourite of quartets and listeners alike, who were intrigued by this early romantic aesthetic from a composer more frequently associated with the serialist techniques of the Darmstadt School. In Langsamer Satz we hear Webern as a young student, composing a work ostensibly inspired by his love for his future wife, Wilhilmine Mörtl. The opening theme, a bittersweet and soaring melody atop chromatic movement, encapsulates all the joy and tension of young love in classical eight-bar phrase. The work speaks not only to Webern’s ability to compose within formal and technical restraints, but also to his self-expression.

Holliger and the OCL perform an arrangement of the work for string orchestra. The arranger is not noted, although it is perhaps Gerard Schwarz or Misha Rachlevsky, both of whom have previously released recordings of Langsamer Satz for string orchestra. The most significant achievements of this performance are the compelling use of rubato and varied dynamics as expressive elements. Despite a sometimes-heavy bass section, the OCL is able to impart a sense of gracefulness onto the work through contrast and restraint. As in the earlier tracks, the most captivating moments are when the ensemble is reserved and the texture sparser. Considering the quality of this performance one wishes it were displayed on the cover of the recording alongside the two works by Schoenberg.

Undeniably the greatest contribution by Holliger and the OCL is an interpretation of these pieces that is fully committed and unapologetic, and one that truly showcases the beauty inherent in these works and speaks to their melodic potential. The ensemble excels in the romantic style of Verklärte Nacht and Langsamer Satz, and their performance will appeal both to steadfast champions of the Second Viennese School and to listeners who are looking to broaden their understanding of the Viennese musical tradition in the twentieth century.