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Schoenberg is regarded as the rebel of 20th century harmony. He completely abandoned the traditional methods of musical expression (tonal centers, key signatures, and traditional applications of harmony) in favor of one in which all the notes of the chromatic scale were assigned equal importance. It was the most radical departure from tradition in the history of Western music, and still today there are many people who cannot stomach an entire performance of his compositions. The Pierrot Lunaire (Moonstruck Pierrot) is based on 21 poems by the poet Albert Giraud, which are some of the darkest, weirdest, most inexplicably strange words in the Latin-based languages. Profoundly moving, full of imagery and drama, Pierrot Lunaire is a seminal work, that combines classical and contemporary styles. Skilfully blending the comic and poetic, the story of a man's journey from innocence to experience is told through 3 commedia dell'arte characters: Pierrot the innocent, the sinister Brighella, and heartless Columbine. With it's striking scaffold set and intricate score, Pierrot Lunaire is a tour de force that leaves a lasting impression. In the antiquity of the Roman theatre began the ballet of the white clown of innocence with the dark clown of experience. Pierrot and Brighella are their lineal descendants and the Columbine their eternal female pawn. In the Commedia dell’arte, Pierrot was called the poet of acrobatics. In the 20th century, with the music of Arnold Schoenberg, Pierrot became the inner man.
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