Anton Webern

I have been trying to start my research for the new play Transfigured Night by Todd Rew and I thought, “Why not start with the music?”.

The play is based on the composer Anton Webern who is best known for his use of twelve-tone technique, a method of musical composition devised by Arnold Schoenberg. I have to say that for me the music isn’t as pleasing or as satisfying as listening to Bach or Schubert (my personal favorite), but I am starting to find the beauty in it.

I have only just begun, but here is my favorite Webern piece so far:



Also, here is a brief history fo Schonenberg's Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night), followed by part one of the Opus.

Verklärte Nacht (or Transfigured Night), Op. 4, is a string sextet in one movement composed by Arnold Schoenberg in 1899. Transfigured Night is considered his earliest important work. Composed in just three weeks, the work was inspired by Richard Dehmel's poem of the same name, along with Schoenberg's strong feelings upon meeting Mathilde von Zemlinsky (the sister of his teacher Alexander von Zemlinsky) whom he would later marry.

Dehmel's poem describes a man and a woman walking through a dark forest on a moonlit night, wherein the woman shares a dark secret with her new lover: she bears the child of another man.

Verklärte Nacht was controversial when it premiered in 1902. No only was the structure of the music before its time, but Dehmel's explicit references to sexual themes in the origional poem were a topic of great controversy. Unusual for its time, the music strays far from the home key, though the work is clearly rooted in D minor. A particular point of controversy was the use of a single inverted ninth chord, which resulted in its rejection by the Vienna Music Society because they claimed such a chord is 'nonexistent'. Schoenberg once remarked "and thus (the work) cannot be performed since one cannot perform that which does not exist".

What's in a play?

I am finally among the privileged few honored with the care of reading the unpublished new play Transfigured Night by Todd Rew. I have been advocating for Transfigured Night ever since its existence became known to me. Considering it is atypical of me to become so involved with a blind project, it is a relief to finally have a script in my hands.

Before turning the first page I had a premonition that this script may be a piece of greatness. This revelation surprised me. After all, in a world filled with half-fledged ideas, the phrase “original play” often produces sighs and shudders. In the theatrical world there exists a plethora of poorly written one-acts and feeble attempts of ingenuity. Yet, somewhere in my gut, I have known for months that this play would be different.

First, Todd has magically written a full length play (and an epic one I might add) about composer Anton Webern – If that isn’t an inspired idea I don’t know what is! “Who is Anton Webern?” Well, since you asked let me tell you the very little (practically miniscule) amount of information I know about this Austrian composer:

Webern, with Alban Berg, was a pupil of Arnold Schoenberg in Vienna, moving in style to atonalism (music without tonality or key centre) and then 12-note music or surrealism (music based on a series of the 12 semitones or half-steps of the modern scale). He wrote music of brief concision and often of extreme delicacy. His influence on later composers has been considerable.

Confused? Don’t worry, so am I – but at the core, the idea to write a play investigating the family, music and tragic death of Anton Webern is genius. Not only has it not been done before, but it is a subject matter that I think people will generally connect with and care about. Maybe Todd will make Webern a household name – Okay, I may be getting ahead of myself, but I cannot retain my composure.

After reading the script I found myself experiencing a myriad of emotions. I knew Todd to be a true and honest artist, but little did I know what an impact this play would have on me. Not only am I fascinated by the historical context, but I am intrigued by the deep routed characters. I feel very emotionally connected to Anton and his wife Minna. I think this is only the beginning of the greatness to come.