Many thanks to all who attended the Virtual Ojai Talks on the music of Schoenberg led by Artistic and Executive Director Ara Guzelimian. Here is the featured music and the resources that were discussed that we’d love to share with all!
The Music We Heard:
These are all readily accessible YouTube links. A companion playlist in either Apple Music or Spotify appears at the bottom, for those who prefer those sources for streaming. One note – the very beautiful Matthias Pintscher/Karajan Academy live performance of the Schoenberg Chamber Symphony No. 1 is only available on YouTube, so the streaming playlists include a different but also compelling performance led by Simon Rattle.
Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1, Op. 9
Matthias Pintscher conductor with the ensemble of the Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic
Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 2
Barbara Hannigan and the Emerson String Quartet
Text to Litanei (third movement)
Text to Entrückung (fourth movement)
Brahms: Piano Pieces, Opus 119
Rudolf Serkin, piano
Schoenberg: Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19
Mitsuko Uchida, piano
Other Media Referenced:
Schoenberg: Mahler’s Funeral
Painting, musically represented in the Op. 19, No. 6 movement above
Salka Viertel: The Kindness of Strangers
A rich remembrance of the emigré community of artists in Los Angeles of the 1930s and 1940s
Allen Shawn: Arnold Schoenberg’s Journey
A complex but rewarding portrait of the composer and his work, if you are not daunted by extensive musical analysis
Here is the playlist:
Enjoy!