Chamber Symphony No. 2 (Schoenberg)

The Chamber Symphony No. 2 in E flat minor, Op 38 for 19 instruments by Arnold Schoenberg was taken by the composer immediately after completion of the First Chamber Symphony (for 15 instruments) in attack. Schoenberg composed and orchestrated the first movement (Adagio, E flat minor ) in full and wrote the short score for now the first part of the second set (Con fuoco - " with fire," G major ), then broke off to work. 1911 and 1916 he tried his hand at the completion of the work, however, instrumented only a few bars. It was not until 1939, when he was already living in the United States six years, he took the composition again. The originally planned three-part system was abandoned, instead of a Maestoso finale, he wrote a thematically participating on the initial level of respect Molto adagio- epilogue in E flat minor, which now formed the second part of the second set. On December 15, 1940 Fritz Stiedry conducted in New York premiere of the two-movement " consummate Torso" by the Chamber Orchestra of the " New Friends of Music"; The program also were the first and fourth Brandenburg Concerto by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Although the work is conceptually still in the rooted pre- zwölftontechnischen or even - atonal phase, it turns from dealing with the harmony and the use of dynamic forth one of the most sophisticated most of Schönberg dar. From symphonic standpoint puts it much more on interaction of the individual voices prevailed as the first Chamber Symphony, in the rather emphasizes the chamber musical juxtaposition highlighted characters, and is thus superficially a more orthodox contribution to the genre dar.