The Second Viennese School --- Who Do You Prefer?

[Mirror Image]

T H E   S E C O N D   V I E N N E S E   S C H O O L

W h o   D o   Y o u   P r e f e r   ?



This poll has been done several times, but both of those polls (or, at least, one of them is closed), so why not start another one? Have fun!

I'll vote a bit later and give my explanation along with the vote.

[Mirror Image]

I voted for Schoenberg for the simple fact that I respond the most to his music and I feel, unlike Berg and Webern, that his oeuvre offers the widest range of expression and his oeuvre is more diverse. From lush Late-Romanticism to the Expressionism of 'Free Atonal' to the spontaneity of 12-tone (and everything in-between), his music covers so many bases and he's remarkably consistent in everything he wrote. Wagner said "Bruckner? He's my man!", well, I feel this way about Arnie.

[JBS]

Webern I just can't get into.  Schonberg I often find too cold and often using a musical language I don't relate to.   Berg wrote some music that actively connects with me, and the rest of his music I have heard may not thrill me, but it doesn't turn me off in the way that much of Schonberg does.

[vandermolen]

I like the Gurru-Leider or at least the opening of it and the powerful 'A Survivor from Warsaw' but that's about it.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

I voted Berg, but it's a very hard choice, since I love all 3 of these guys. I do feel there's a certain sterility or over-intellectualized quality to some of the later music of the other 2 composers. I never get this feeling with Berg.

[Sergeant Rock]

Schoenberg gets my vote but god I do love Berg's Three Pieces and Violin Concerto...and Wozzeck...and the op.1 Sonata...and the 7 Early Songs...

Sarge

[bhodges]

Love all three, but with Lulu and Wozzeck, Berg wins by a hair.

--Bruce

[San Antone]

I appears that I am the sole vote for Webern.  Come on, folks - where are all the Webern fans?

[bhodges]

I adore Webern. First time hearing Six Pieces for Orchestra changed my life. (Just adore Berg ever-so-slightly more. )

--Bruce

[ritter]

Today, I voted for Schoenberg...if asked again tomorrow, I don't know 

[Karl Henning]

I do like them all, but the nod has to go to Schoenberg.

[Mirror Image]

Schoenberg gets my vote but god I do love Berg's Three Pieces and Violin Concerto...and Wozzeck...and the op.1 Sonata...and the 7 Early Songs...

Sarge

You and I are in the same boat, Sarge. Berg's music has had a quite the emotional hold on me for years. A brilliant composer.

[Mirror Image]

I appears that I am the sole vote for Webern.  Come on, folks - where are all the Webern fans?

I'm a fan of Webern, but his music doesn't touch me quite as deeply as Schoenberg or Berg, however, there's no denying the ingenuity of Webern's music.

[Mirror Image]

I do like them all, but the nod has to go to Schoenberg.

Team Arnie for the win!

[North Star]

I do like them all, but the nod has to go to Schoenberg.

I think I'll have to agree on that.

G'day, all

[André]

I yet have to hear something by Webern that makes a ripple in my mind. I have no idea why, but I don't connect with his language at all. My preference goes for Berg, by a good margin because his music is so emotional. Schoenberg is a bit like Stravinsky: there's early, middle and late Schoenberg - huge differences, more so than with any other composer IMO - and I find it hard to embrace it all at once.

[Symphonic Addict]

I rank them according to the amount of works I enjoy of. Webern is my least favorite as well. Nevertheless, some of his early works do appeal to me, especially Passacaglia for orchestra and Im Sommerwind. I find his other music extremely cerebral and cold whose purpose seems merely intellectual rather than giving pleasure or entertaining the listener. Then Berg would come with works like Three Pieces for Orchestra, Lyric Suite for string quartet, Violin Concerto and Chamber Concerto. Schonberg has more works that appeal to me, so he would be my 'favorite'. Gurrelieder, String Quartet in D major, String Quartet No. 1, Verklärte Nacht, Concerto for String Quartet after Händel, Cello Concerto after Monn, the Chamber Symphonies and Five Pieces for orchestra Op. 16 are of my interest. His other stuff does nothing for me.

[André]

I rank them according to the amount of works I enjoy of. Webern is my least favorite as well. Nevertheless, some of his early works do appeal to me, especially Passacaglia for orchestra and Im Sommerwind. I find his other music extremely cerebral and cold whose purpose seems merely intellectual rather than giving pleasure or entertaining the listener. Then Berg would come with works like Three Pieces for Orchestra, Lyric Suite for string quartet, Violin Concerto and Chamber Concerto. Schonberg has more works that appeal to me, so he would be my 'favorite'. Gurrelieder, String Quartet in D major, String Quartet No. 1, Verklärte Nacht, Concerto for String Quartet after Händel, Cello Concerto after Monn, the Chamber Symphonies and Five Pieces for orchestra Op. 16 are of my interest. His other stuff does nothing for me.

The orchestration of the Brahms piano quartet no 1 is probably my favourite work by Schoenberg  . Lest that be construed as dismissive, it is not the case. I find it an absolute masterpiece in this orchestration. Then there's Verklärte Nacht, Pelleas und Melisande, the violin concerto, the Phantasy op 47, A Survivor from Warsaw, the Variations op 31...

Berg wrote less, but some of his works mean more to me than most by Schoenberg, in particular the Violin concerto and the Chamber concerto, the Altenberg lieder and the piano sonata.

[Mirror Image]

The orchestration of the Brahms piano quartet no 1 is probably my favourite work by Schoenberg  . Lest that be construed as dismissive, it is not the case. I find it an absolute masterpiece in this orchestration. Then there's Verklärte Nacht, Pelleas und Melisande, the violin concerto, the Phantasy op 47, A Survivor from Warsaw, the Variations op 31...

Berg wrote less, but some of his works mean more to me than most by Schoenberg, in particular the Violin concerto and the Chamber concerto, the Altenberg lieder and the piano sonata.

Ah yes, I had forgotten about the orchestration of Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 1 (I'm not exactly sure how I forgot it). Anyway, it's completely zany! I love how crazy the orchestration gets as the work progresses. Sometimes I forget just what an unbelievable orchestrator he was.

Rattle talks about it in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/v/qpv-erC-Ks4

[Symphonic Addict]

The orchestration of the Brahms piano quartet no 1 is probably my favourite work by Schoenberg  . Lest that be construed as dismissive, it is not the case. I find it an absolute masterpiece in this orchestration. Then there's Verklärte Nacht, Pelleas und Melisande, the violin concerto, the Phantasy op 47, A Survivor from Warsaw, the Variations op 31...

That orchestration of Brahms's Piano Quartet No. 1 is certainly impressive. However, I feel the orchestration in some parts is a little 'capricious' in the 4th movement, losing the focus of what the original work pretends to convey. It's just what I detect, hence I didn't include it among my favorites by Schonberg.