The works of the Austrian composer Anton Webern were to have a far greater influence on subsequent composers than that of his teacher Arnold Schoenberg, but when he died tragically in 1945 they were still virtually unknown to the musical public. That situation changed dramatically in 1957 with the release of a 4-LP box set of Webern’s complete works. High Fidelity called it “an epical undertaking, and one that has been accomplished with epical success. Robert Craft and his associates spent two years recording the music of Anton Webern. They perform it magnificently, they have had the utmost painstaking collaboration from Columbia, and the whole will remain for a very long time as one of the major monuments of modern discography.” This epoch-making project now appears for the first time on a 4-album set from Sony Classical.
Webern: Passacaglia for Orchestra, Op. 1
Webern: Entflieht, Op. 2
Webern: Frühe Lieder Op. 3
Webern: Fünf Lieder, Op. 4
Webern: Five movements for String Quartet, Op. 5 (1909)
Webern: Six Pieces for Orchestra Op. 6
Webern: Four pieces for violin & piano, Op. 7 (1910)
Webern: Zwei Lieder, Op. 8
Webern: Six Bagatelles for String Quartet, Op. 9 (1911-1913)
Webern: Five Pieces for Orchestra Op. 10
Webern: Three Little Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 11 (1914)
Webern: Vier Lieder, Op. 12
Webern: Four Songs Op. 13
Webern: Sechs Lieder, Op. 14
Webern: Fünf geistliche Lieder, Op. 15
Webern: Five Canons on Latin Texts for Soprano, Clarinet, and Bass Clarinet, Op. 16
Webern: Drei Volkstexte (Three Traditional Rhymes) for Soprano, Violin, Viola, Clarinet, and Bass Clarinet, Op. 17
Webern: Drei Lieder, Op. 18, for voice, E flat clarinet and guitar
Webern: Two Songs, Op. 19 (Texts: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Webern: String Trio, Op. 20 (1927)
Webern: Symphony, Op. 21
Webern: Quartet, Op. 22 for violin, clarinet, tenor saxophone and piano
Webern: Drei Gesänge, Op. 23
Webern: Concerto for Nine Instruments Op. 24
Webern: Drei Lieder, Op. 25
Webern: Das Augenlicht, ‘Through Our Open Eyes Light Flows into the Heart’, Op. 26
Webern: Variations, Op. 27
Webern: String Quartet, Op. 28 (1937-38)
Webern: Cantata No.1 for Soprano Chorus and Orchestra op.29
Webern: Variations for Orchestra, Op. 30
Webern: Cantata No. 2, Op. 31
Webern: Ricercata from J.S. Bach’s ‘Musical Offering’
Webern: Quintett für Streicher und Klavier (1907)