The Complete Works Of ANTON WEBERN, Volume 1 (Op. 1-31) 4LP NM/VG+ PIERRE BOULEZ
Anton Webern Biography by Robert Cummings
Anton (von) Webern was one of the key figures in the so-called Second Viennese School. A pupil of Schoenberg, he became known for his concise and highly individual atonal and serial compositions. In many ways he was more influential than his teacher: in the postwar years leading figures in the avant-garde like Boulez, Stockhausen, and Dallapiccola, found more substance in his music and forms than in those of Schoenberg. Hence, one often heard -- and still hears -- the term "post-Webern serialism." His mature style was relatively straightforward, featuring simple harmonies and transparent textures, silent pauses, and brevity of expression. While his influence and stature are acknowledged and his music often played, Webern has landed no work in the standard repertory. Much of his music is viewed as difficult and intellectual by the public, though it is in fact comparatively quite approachable, much less challenging than the works of Boulez, Cage, and others.
Webern's family moved to Graz in 1890, then four years later to Klagenfurt, where he would attend the gymnasium for his general education. He showed talent early on and studied both piano and cello with Edwin Komauer during his early years in Klagenfurt. He graduated from the gymnasium in 1902 and enrolled at the University of Vienna. There he studied under Graedener, Adler, and Navratil. In 1904, however, he began his most serious period of study, when he became a pupil of Schoenberg.
Schoenberg was then, and remained for some time to come, one of the most progressive figures in musical composition, being among the first to write entirely atonal music, and then finalizing his serial technique in the 1920s. Webern now became a close friend of Alban Berg, also one of Schoenberg's pupils. During these years of study, Webern began to focus on vocal composition, turning out several sets of songs. He also wrote some important chamber works, including the String Quartet (1905).
In 1908, Webern launched a career as a conductor, taking a position at Bad Ischl. He was not particularly successful in this new endeavor, but acquired subsequent posts at Teplitz, Danzig, Stettin, and Prague, this last assignment ending in 1918, when he returned to Vienna. During these years Webern had continued to write song collections (for example, Four Songs, Op. 13; 1917), as well as chamber music (Sonata for Cello and Piano; 1914).
After the war, Webern, along with Berg, took part in Schoenberg's Society for Private Musical Performances, an organization dedicated to the performance of modern works. After this, he returned to conducting, but for the most part garnered only secondary posts, such as director of the Vienna Workers' Chorus (1922-1934), which he fulfilled concurrently with other positions. He did manage, however, to obtain regular conducting appearances on Austrian Radio. In 1926, he took on a teaching post at the Jewish Cultural Institute for the Blind.
After the Nazis came to power, Webern's work with the Vienna Workers' Chorus was ended, and four years later, his relationship with Austrian Radio was terminated. He composed three important choral works -- the Cantatas Nos. 1, 2, and 3 -- in the period 1938-1944, and in 1940 he produced his orchestral composition Variations, Op. 30. Webern's death nearly a half year after the end of the war in Europe occurred in a freak incident in Mittersill (near Salzburg) when an American soldier mistakenly shot him while he was on an extended excursion to visit his daughter.
Anton Webern - Pierre Boulez – The Complete Works Of Anton Webern, Volume 1 (Op. 1-31)
Anton Webern - The Complete Works Of Anton Webern, Volume 1 (Op. 1-31) album cover
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Label:Columbia Masterworks – M4 35193, Columbia Masterworks – M 35732, Columbia Masterworks – M 35733, Columbia Masterworks – M 35734, Columbia Masterworks – M 35735
Format:
4 x Vinyl, LP, Stereo
Box Set
Country:US
Released:1978
Genre:Classical
Style:Modern
A1Passacaglia For Orchestra, Op. 1
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Orchestra – London Symphony Orchestra
10:04
A2Entflieht Auf Leichten Kähnen, Op. 2
Choir – John Alldis Choir
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
2:33
A3Five Songs, Op. 3
Piano – Charles Rosen
Soprano Vocals – Heather Harper
5:12
A4Five Songs, Op. 4
Piano – Charles Rosen
Soprano Vocals – Heather Harper
7:52
B1Five Movements For String Quartet, Op. 5
Ensemble – Juilliard Quartet*
12:17
B2Six Pieces For Large Orchestra, Op. 6
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Orchestra – London Symphony Orchestra
12:20
B3Four Pieces For Violin And Piano, Op. 7
Piano – Charles Rosen
Violin – Isaac Stern
4:55
B4Two Songs, Op. 8
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Soprano Vocals – Heather Harper
2:12
C1Six Bagatelles For String Quartet, Op. 9
Ensemble – Juilliard Quartet*
4:18
C2Five Pieces For Orchestra, Op. 10
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Orchestra – London Symphony Orchestra
4:17
C3Three Small Pieces For Cello And Piano, Op. 11
Cello – Gregor Piatigorsky
Piano – Charles Rosen
2:17
C4Four Songs, Op. 12
Piano – Charles Rosen
Soprano Vocals – Heather Harper
7:02
C5Four Songs, Op. 13
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Soprano Vocals – Heather Harper
7:08
C6Six Songs, Op. 14
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Soprano Vocals – Heather Harper
4:56
D1Five Sacred Songs, Op. 15
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Soprano Vocals – Halina Lukomska
3:20
D2Five Canons On Latin Texts, Op. 16
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Soprano Vocals – Halina Lukomska
3:20
D3Three Traditional Rhymes, Op. 17
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Soprano Vocals – Halina Lukomska
2:30
D4Three Songs, Op. 18
Clarinet – Colin Bradley (2)
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Guitar – John Williams (7)
Soprano Vocals – Halina Lukomska
3:34
D5Two Songs, Op. 19
Choir – John Alldis Choir
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Orchestra – London Symphony Orchestra
2:10
D6String Trio, Op. 20
Ensemble – Juilliard Quartet*
9:20
E1Symphony, Op. 21
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Orchestra – London Symphony Orchestra
9:17
E2Quartet, Op. 22
Clarinet – Robert Marcellus
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Piano – Charles Rosen
Saxophone – Abraham Weinstein
Violin – Daniel Majeske
7:10
E3Three Songs, Op. 23
Piano – Charles Rosen
Soprano Vocals – Halina Lukomska
6:55
E4Concerto, Op. 24
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Orchestra – Members Of The London Symphony Orchestra
6:40
F1Three Songs, Op. 25
Piano – Charles Rosen
Soprano Vocals – Halina Lukomska
3:48
F2Das Augenlicht, Op. 26
Choir – John Alldis Choir
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Orchestra – London Symphony Orchestra
5:50
F3Variations For Piano, Op. 27
Piano – Charles Rosen
6:00
F4String Quartet, Op. 28
Ensemble – Juilliard Quartet*
8:45
G1Cantata No. 1, Op. 29
Baritone Vocals – Barry McDaniel
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Orchestra – London Symphony Orchestra
Soprano Vocals – Halina Lukomska
7:58
G2Variations For Orchestra, Op. 30
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Orchestra – London Symphony Orchestra
7:12
G3Cantata No. 2, Op. 31
Baritone Vocals – Barry McDaniel
Choir – John Alldis Choir
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Orchestra – London Symphony Orchestra
Soprano Vocals – Halina Lukomska
14:12
H1Five Movements For String Quartet, Op. 5 (Orch. Version)
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Orchestra – London Symphony Orchestra
9:56
H2Orchestration Of The Fugue From The Musical Offering Of Bach (Without Opus)
Conductor – Pierre Boulez
Orchestra – London Symphony Orchestra
7:01
H3Schubert-Webern: German Dances For Orchestra, Op. Posth.
Conductor – Anton Webern
Orchestra – Frankfurter Funkorchester
8:50
Manufactured By – Columbia Records
Manufactured By – CBS Inc.
Composed By – Anton Webern
Cover, Design – Allen Weinberg, John Berg
Cover, Painting – Kandinsky*
Design [Booklet] – Peter Nutter, Thumb Design Partnership
Engineer – Bud Graham, Christopher Parker, Hellmuth Kolbe, Keith Grant, Robert Gooch
Liner Notes – Humphrey Searle, Susan Bradshaw
Liner Notes [Traduction] – Marc Vignal
Producer – Paul Myers (2), Roy Emerson
Producer [Assistance In The Production] – Andrew Kadzin, Richard Killough, Thomas Z. Shepard
Remix, Edited By – Mike Ross-Trevor
4 record box set including 20 page book.
Each LP has its own catalog number, as follows:
LP1 - M 35732
LP2 - M 35733
LP3 - M 35734
LP4 - M 35735
Matrix / Runout (A runout): MAL-35732-1C
Matrix / Runout (B runout): MBL 35732-1G
Matrix / Runout (C runout): MAL 35733-1D
Matrix / Runout (D runout): MBL 35733-1K
Matrix / Runout (E runout): MAL-35734-1AB
Matrix / Runout (F runout): MBL 35734-1H
Matrix / Runout (G runout): MAL 35735-1A
Matrix / Runout (H runout): MBL 35735-1D
Matrix / Runout (A label): M 35732 / AL 35732
Matrix / Runout (B label): M 35732 / BL 35732
Matrix / Runout (C label): M 35733 / AL 35733
Matrix / Runout (D label): M 35733 / BL 35733
Matrix / Runout (E label): M 35734 / AL 35734
Matrix / Runout (F label): M 35734 / BL 35734
Matrix / Runout (G label): M 35735 / AL 35735
Matrix / Runout (H label): M 35735 / BL 35735
Other (Library of Congress catalog card number): 78-751021
Barcode: 07464351931
GOLDMINE GRADING
MINT ---- It should appear to be perfect. No scuffs or scratches, blotches or stains, labels or writing, tears or splits. Mint means perfect.
NEAR MINT ---- Otherwise mint but has one or two tiny inconsequential flaws that do not affect play. Covers should be close to perfect with minor signs of wear or age just becoming evident: slight ring-wear, minor denting to a corner, or writing on the cover should all be noted properly.
VERY GOOD PLUS ---- The record has been handled and played infrequently or very carefully. Not too far from perfect. On a disc, there may be light paper scuffs from sliding in and out of a sleeve or the vinyl or some of the original luster may be lost. A slight scratch that did not affect play would be acceptably VG+ for most collectors.
VERY GOOD ---- Record displays visible signs of handling and playing, such as loss of vinyl luster, light surface scratches, groove wear and spindle trails. Some audible surface noise, but should not overwhelm the musical experience. Usually a cover is VG when one or two of these problems are evident: ring wear, seam splits, bent corners, loss of gloss, stains, etc.
GOOD ---- Well played with little luster and significant surface noise. Despite defects, record should still play all the way through without skipping. Several cover flaws will be apparent, but should not obliterate the artwork.
POOR ---- Any record or cover that does not qualify for the above "Good" grading should be seen as Poor. Several cover flaws.
