Although Arnold Schoenberg's Six A Cappella Mixed Choruses (1928, 1948) are prominently featured on this CD, the third volume of Robert Craft's Schoenberg Collection on Naxos, the recordings of the String Quartet No. 2, Op. 10 (1908), and the Suite in G for string orchestra (1934) should not be overlooked as mere filler. In some ways, these instrumental pieces are the most interesting offerings, if not the most transparent, immediately gratifying, or successful. Since the six choruses are fairly conventional settings of ...
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Although Arnold Schoenberg's Six A Cappella Mixed Choruses (1928, 1948) are prominently featured on this CD, the third volume of Robert Craft's Schoenberg Collection on Naxos, the recordings of the String Quartet No. 2, Op. 10 (1908), and the Suite in G for string orchestra (1934) should not be overlooked as mere filler. In some ways, these instrumental pieces are the most interesting offerings, if not the most transparent, immediately gratifying, or successful. Since the six choruses are fairly conventional settings of sixteenth century German folk songs, they are the easiest to digest and the least challenging in their consonant harmonies and easy-to-follow canonic textures. The performance by the Simon Joly Singers is warm and ingratiating, and the entire set makes a strong case for Schoenberg's skills in arranging traditional music. But to better appreciate the development of his personal style, one should spend time absorbing the complexities of the String Quartet No. 2, passionately played here...
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