Lothar Koenigs Wiener Schule at La Monnaie

After Alban Berg’s death, his widow asked three composers of the Second Viennese School and its entourage to complete the third act of Lulu: Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern and Alexander von Zemlinsky, but none of them accepted the assignment. These three composers come together in this concert programme alongside Johannes Brahms. Although Schoenberg’s Erste Kammersymphonie, Webern’s Passacaglia and Zemlinsky’s Maeterlinck Lieder are early 20th century works, they are still immersed in a late romantic atmosphere and clearly rooted in the 19th century. On the other hand, despite its classicism, the work of Johannes Brahms – whom Schoenberg dubbed ‘Brahms the Progressive’ – already looks ahead to the 20th century. Through this programme, Lothar Koenigs proves that certain artistic categorizations are totally outdated and that good music is timeless.