Arnold Schoenberg in Berlin - February, 1930
from Arnold Schoenberg Letters, page 136:
I have played through the records of my opera [Von heute auf morgen] several times and – for artistic reasons – prefer not to conceal from you the fact that these sounds depress me extremely. I cannot bring myself to believe that it is my fault, either as composer or as conductor; but, even while admitting that I do not know, I really must say: my music must not sound like this. Either I must change, or the performance or the reproduction must.
Arnold Schoenberg, and Erwin Stein (ed.), Arnold Schoenberg Letters (1964), p. 136. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1448982164988 accessed: 24 November, 2024
Listeners
Listening to
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Von heute auf morgen
written by Arnold Schoenberg |
performed by Arnold Schoenberg |
Experience Information
| Date/Time | February, 1930 |
| Medium | broadcast, playback |
| Listening Environment | indoors, in public |
Notes
Letter from Arnold Schoenberg to Intendant Flesch, Berlin [Handwritten draft, no date (probably February or March 1930]. 'Von heute auf morgen' was broadcast by Radio Berlin in February 1930, with Schoenberg conducting. This draft letter refers to records made on this occasion.