Arnold Schoenberg: Pierrot Lunaire

Schoenberg is regarded as the rebel of 20th century harmony. He completely abandoned the traditional methods of musical expression (tonal centers, key signatures, and traditional applications of harmony) in favor of one in which all the notes of the chromatic scale were assigned equal importance. It was the most radical departure from tradition in the history of Western music, and still today there are many people who cannot stomach an entire performance of his compositions.
The Pierrot Lunaire (Moonstruck Pierrot) is based on 21 poems by the poet Albert Giraud, which are some of the darkest, weirdest, most inexplicably strange words in the Latin-based languages. Profoundly moving, full of imagery and drama, Pierrot Lunaire is a seminal work, that combines classical and contemporary styles. Skilfully blending the comic and poetic, the story of a man's journey from innocence to experience is told through 3 commedia dell'arte characters: Pierrot the innocent, the sinister Brighella, and...