Erwartung. Monodram, op. 17

Under the title of “studio reihe neuer musik”, WERGO released outstanding recordings in the 1960s, thus creating a trademark of advanced contemporary music in the label's early days. On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, WERGO now releases these highlights of 20th-century music history in an excellent sound quality on CD for the first time.

“studio reihe” now continues with a work by Arnold Schönberg:

The premiere of Schoenberg's first stage work "Erwartung (Monodram)" [Expectation (Monodrama)] Op. 17, composed in 1909, did not take place until 15 years later – in Prague in 1924. The fact that Schoenberg needed only the short period of barely seventeen days to finish the work is not surprising in view of the particularly highly charged atmosphere of his artistic situation at that time, as the surrendering to the condensed, pained, literally pushed moment was a symbol of Expressionism. “Erwartung” has to be regarded as one of the major highlights of musical Expressionism: In accordance with subjective, emotional compulsion and objective natural behaviour, the work embodies everything about need and terrifying “expectation” that could be suspected from and burst out due to the Expressionist struggles for survival in the first pre-war age.

The recordings were originally published on LP in 1964 (WERGO, WER 50001).