Synopsis

In Vienna, on today’s date in 1907, the String Quartet No. 1 by Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg had its first performance by the Rosé Quartet, an ensemble headed by Arnold Rosé, the concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic and Gustav Mahler’s brother-in-law.

One eyewitness reported: “Many found the work impossible, and left the hall during the performance, one rather humorously through the emergency exit. As the hissing continued afterward, Gustav Mahler, who was present, approached one of the unsatisfied and said: ‘You should not hiss!’ — to which the unhappy audience member responded: ‘Don’t worry — I hiss your symphonies, too!’”

In 1936, Schoenberg was living in Los Angeles, where one of his students was the Hollywood composer Alfred Newman. Newman arranged to have all four of Schoenberg’s quartets recorded by the visiting Kolisch Quartet at the United Artists Studios in Hollywood. To do this, Newman had to first obtain permission from none other than film mogul Samuel Goldwyn.

“And so, a hack movie-musician, a movie producer, and a movie studio made possible the recording of four important modern compositions. Once in a while, you see, we can be unfaithful to the great god Profit,” recalled Newman years later.

Music Played in Today's Program

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951): String Quartet No. 1; Kolisch Quartet; Music and Arts 1056