Arnold Schoenberg by Man Ray Photo: CC by SA 2.0
'Verklärte Nacht' or Transfigured Night is a Romantic work by Arnold Schoenberg based on a poem by Richard Dehmel.
The poem follows a pair of lovers walking through the cold, dark woods under the light of the moon. The woman confesses to carrying another man’s child. The man forgives her, explaining that the new life she bears and his own forgiveness have transfigured him and them as a couple.
The music, composed in 1899 is lush and richly chromatic. It's a ‘transitional’ work by Schoenberg who was moving past writing quartets to charm Viennese audiences. But at this point he was yet to develop the 12-tone or serial music that would make him famous.
Recorded in Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington on 21 September 2019 by RNZ Concert
Producer/sound engineer: Darryl Stack
