Anton Webern - String Quartet, Op. 28

Anton Webern (1883 - 1945) - String Quartet, Op. 28 (1938) I. Mässig [0:00] II. Gemächlich [3:56] III. Sehr fliessend [5:45] LaSalle Quartet (1974) Webern’s String Quartet, Op. 28, is his third major work for string quartet and typically lasts around 7 - 8 minutes. “The piece is in three movements: Mässig (Moderately) – a movement in variation form. Gemächlich (Leisurely) – in ternary form (ABA), the outer parts being a four-part canon with all the notes the same length (fluctuations in tempo aside). Sehr fliessend (Very flowing) – a freer movement with numerous changes in texture and mood. In a letter to Erwin Stein, Webern described the middle part of this movement as a fugue. The String Quartet is composed using the twelve-tone technique. The tone row on which the piece is based (B♭, A, C, B, D♯, E, C♯, D, G♭, F, A♭, G) is intricately constructed and based on the BACH motif (B♭, A, C, B♮