Schönberg: Gurre-Lieder (Songs of Gurre) for soprano, mezzo soprano (alto), 2 tenor and bass soloists, speaker, t(t)bb and double satb choir and orchestra, for soli, speaker, male choir (TTBB), mixed choir (SSAATTBB) and orchestra

Schönberg worked on his Gurre- Lieder for soloists, chorus and orchestra from 1900-1911, a period in which he left the work’s style far behind. For him its completion represented the documentation of a compositional style and spiritual attitude no longer his own. At its 1913 première in the Vienna Musikverein the piece enjoyed overwhelming success; Schönberg’s pupil Webern wrote: What a moment of my life! Unforgettable… The sensation of this tumultuous noise thrills me to the point where I swoon…