Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht - Schönberg Ensemble - 1984

Verklärte Nacht (or Transfigured Night), Op. 4, is a string sextet in one movement composed by Arnold Schoenberg in 1899 and his earliest important work. Composed in just three weeks, the work was inspired by Richard Dehmel's poem of the same name, along with Schoenberg's strong feelings upon meeting Mathilde von Zemlinsky (the sister of his teacher Alexander von Zemlinsky), whom he would later marry.



Often recorded in a fuller strong orchestra version, this is the string sextet version. What it losses in lushness (hardly a "typical" Schoenberg trait), it makes up for in transparency and intimacy. The less often heard Trio Op 47 and Violin and Piano Phantasy Op 45 is also heard.

The Schoenberg Ensemble here consists of:
Jannecke van der Meer, Wim de Jong, violins
Henk Guittart, Sigiswald Kuyken, violas
Hans Woudenberg, Richte van der Meer, cellos
Marja Bon, piano

The recording was made in Apr 1984 at Utrecht.