Composer

:

Anton Webern

Genre

:

Symphony

Style

:

Symphony

Compose Date

:

1927 - 1928

Average_duration

:

9:38

Movement_count

:

2

Movement ....

Anton Webern's Symphony, Op. 21, was composed in 1928 and premiered on June 8, 1928, in Vienna, Austria. The symphony is divided into two movements, with a total duration of approximately 10 minutes. The first movement, marked "Ruhig schreitend" (quietly striding), begins with a sparse and delicate texture, featuring solo lines for various instruments. The music gradually builds in intensity, with the addition of more instruments and thicker textures. The movement reaches a climax before subsiding into a quiet coda. The second movement, marked "Variationen" (variations), is a set of five variations on a short theme. Each variation explores different textures and instrumental combinations, ranging from sparse and delicate to dense and aggressive. The final variation features a frenzied, virtuosic solo for the violin, before the symphony concludes with a brief coda. Webern's Symphony, Op. 21, is characterized by its use of serialism, a compositional technique that involves organizing musical elements (such as pitches, rhythms, and dynamics) according to a predetermined series of values. This approach results in a highly structured and tightly controlled musical language, with a focus on intricate textures and precise instrumental timbres. Despite its brevity, Webern's Symphony, Op. 21, is considered a landmark work in the development of 20th-century music. Its use of serialism and innovative approach to orchestration influenced many composers who followed, including Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen.

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