Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht; String Quartet No. 1

There are a number of points of similarity between Schoenberg’s String Quartet No 1, Op 7 and Verklärte Nacht, Op 4, both technical and structural. They were also important works in the composer’s life, Verklärte Nacht being—in his own estimation—the first tone poem ever written for chamber ensemble. Both works provoked scandals but both also pointed the way decisively toward future development, not least the quartet, which was a pivotal composition in Schoenberg’s career and one that enshrines an intriguing ‘private programme’.