Robert Craft’s recordings on Naxos Records are excellent. He has recorded nearly all of the works by Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern, and all are very good versions of these works. Today I am listening to his Webern sets.
Anton Webern (1883-1945) was a student of Arnold Schoenberg, and along with Alban Berg made up the Second Viennese School.
These three composers developed Schoenberg’s 12-tone method of composition throughout the first half of the 20th century.
However, Anton Webern was unique in his method and influence, being the composer who more than any other impacted on the Darmstadt group of composers, primarily Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Luigi Nono.
Weber’s entire output only lasts a few hours, and can comfortably fit on three CDs.
Craft presents us with an excellent recording of the Symphony, Op. 21, Concerto for Nine Instruments, Op. 24 and the Six Orchestral Pieces, Op. 6 (in their revised version) along with some other pieces.
There are two other CDs from Craft which complete his traversal of the music of Anton Webern, both collecting the vocal works, but one with chamber music while the other includes the remaining orchestral works.
Musica Kaleidoskopea 