Vienna is considered the capital of modernism, a reputation epitomized musically by Arnold Schönberg’s revolutionary world of sound. Schönberg (13.9.1874, Vienna – 13.7.1951, Los Angeles) was the pioneer of modernism; his compositions transported his contemporaries to distant worlds. His music and ethical approach to art remain just as relevant today as they were in his lifetime. As one of the most astute and uncompromising architects of his era, he became the icon of a century. Schönberg was an all-round artist: composer, writer, teacher, theorist, painter, inventor, leading figure of the Viennese School and creator of the twelve-tone method, a turning point in the history of music post-1900.

“Schönberg 150” – curated by the Arnold Schönberg Center and the Wien Modern

His anniversary is being celebrated in Vienna with a busy program of events. Many important Viennese cultural institutions will include references to Schönberg in their programs in 2024, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the composer’s work and philosophy. The Arnold Schönberg Center and Wien Modern are collaborating to coordinate the “Schönberg 150” anniversary year, the largest Austrian festival of new music.

The Arnold Schönberg Center manages the estate of the founding father of twelve-tone music. The freely accessible archive comprises 20,000 pages of music and text manuscripts as well as diaries, concert programs, instruments and much more. Among the 3,500 photographs are Man Ray’s portrait of Schönberg, as well as shots of Alban Berg, Anton Webern, Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin. Music lovers can familiarize themselves with Schönberg, his ideas and his work in this dynamic educational and cultural center. Committed Schönberg fans, academics and researchers will find a unique wealth of music manuscripts, writings, correspondence and scholarly materials.

Nuria Schoenberg Nono, daughter of the celebrated composer and President of the Arnold Schönberg Center Private Foundation in Vienna:

“It gives me and my family great pleasure that my father’s work will be heard in many different places to mark the 150th anniversary of Arnold Schönberg’s birth. He always expressed his emotions through his music and saw it as an evolution rather than a revolution. I hope that all the artists and the audience will enjoy lots of memorable performances.”

Program highlights up to June 2024

“Schönberg 150” comprises numerous stage performances, readings, events, international master classes and educational workshops: 26 institutions and partners are contributing to the anniversary with 129 events in the first half of the year alone.

Musical highlights include a special focus on Schönberg at the Vienna Music Society, concerts and performances at the Wiener Konzerthaus and at the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.

The MusikTheater an der Wien has announced a thrilling evening with the Arnold Schoenberg Choir entitled “Freitag, der Dreizehnte” (Friday the Thirteenth) on April 26, 2024 at an exciting location, a revitalized late classicist-historical building called “Reaktor” in Vienna’s 17th district.  Schönberg is said to have suffered from triskaidekaphobia, a fear of the number 13. He was born on September 13, 1874 and actually died on Friday, July 13 1951 at the age of 76.

Schönberg 2024 will consist of three exhibitions: “Arnold Schönberg & Karl Kraus” (17.1. – 10.5.2024) and “Listening to Love with Schönberg” (29.5.2024 – 14.2.2025) can be seen at the Schönberg Center, while the third show, “Triangle of Viennese Tradition”, will run at the mdw’s Exilarte Center (5.3. – 20.12.2024).

The Wien Modern Festival – which enjoyed great success with around 30,000 visitors at the 36th edition of the festival in 2023 – has asked selected artists to take a closer look at Schönberg in 2024. Pianist Marino Formenti will kick things off in the spring: he will be out and about in public spaces with a piano, microphone and camera to put one of Arnold Schönberg’s famous aspirations into practice: “... that people know and whistle my melodies”. In November, contemporary approaches will take center stage at the main Wien Modern festival.

The Vienna Festival has launched the Academy of Second Modernism, a global platform for female composers with the aim of ensuring that more works by female composers are performed. The Vienna Festival will invite ten contemporary female composers from all over the world every year between 2024 and 2029 for each of Schönberg’s 50 forgotten or unheard female composition students. The first of them will be performed on June 8 and 9, 2024 by Klangforum Wien. Nuria Schoenberg Nono has accepted the role of patron for the project.

The comprehensive Schönberg Handbook will be published on April 10, 2024 to mark Schönberg’s anniversary and will be unveiled at the Arnold Schönberg Center.

The summer concerts performed by the Superar School Choirs at the MuTh on June 4 and 5 will bring the first half of the year to a close.

Info & Program:

www.schoenberg150.at, together with the anniversary brochure, which includes the program for the first half of 2024, as well as a guide to Schönberg events all over the world, introductions to his works, photos, a Schönberg profile and the short film “Arnold Schönberg – Who am I”.

Some of the institutions involved in “Schönberg 150”:

Arnold Schönberg Center / Education Directorate for Vienna / Exilarte Center of the mdw / KlangBildKlang / Kunstraumarcade / mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna / Mödlinger Künstlerbund / MusikTheater an der Wien / Vienna Music Society / ORF Ö1 / ORF RadioKulturhaus / PodiumFestival / RSO Wien / Staatstheater Augsburg / Superar / Vienna Festival / Wiener Konzerthaus / Vienna Philharmonic / Vienna State Opera / Wiener Symphoniker / Wiener Volkshochschulen / Wien Modern / Wir sind Wien. Festival / Yale University School of Music

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Contact

Helena Steinhart
Media Relations
+43 1 211 14-364
helena.steinhart@vienna.info