Schoenberg’s conception of what the “idea” of a piece of music really was - something even bigger than the sounds it makes.

‘I personally believe in "l'art pour l'art." In the creation of a work of art, nothing should interfere with the real idea. A work of art must elaborate on its own idea and follow the conditions which this idea establishes. This does not mean that an artist must have principles for which he obeys...’

Archive audio and photos with kind permission of Arnold Schönberg Center, Wien