Puccini & Pierrot - On the 100th anniversary of Giacomo Puccini's death

Merlin Ensemble Wien
Sonja Korak, flute, piccolo
Haruhi Tanaka, clarinet, bass clarinett
Till A. Körber, piano, arrangements
Luis Zorita, violoncello
Martin Walch, violin, viola, direction

Sylvie Rohrer, speaking voice

Giacomo Puccini: Fuga reale; Quando m’en vò (Musetta’s Waltz) from: La Bohème; Crisantemi for String Quartet; Intermezzo sinfonico from: Manon Lescaut; Nessun dorma from: Turandot (arr. Till A. Körber)
Arnold Schönberg: Pierrot lunaire op. 21

At a performance of his "Pierrot lunaire" in Florence on April 1, 1924, Schönberg met the opera composer Giacomo Puccini. Puccini had traveled all the way from Lucca to get to know the melodrama cycle by the renowned composer of new music. This was the only time the two composers would ever meet: Puccini died on November 29, 1924, and Schönberg said he was "very shocked" by the great loss to the world of music. The memorial concert brings together Puccini’s "Crisantemi" and some of his operatic melodies in an arrangement by Till Alexander Körber, with "Pierrot", which had been performed in 1924.