He further suggests that the reason Schoenberg was able to convey such a powerful sense of alienation was a series of alienating events in his own life. Narrator explains the idea of Sprechstimme and reads from the introduction to Pierrot . Instrumentalists are invisible except for their hands. He discusses the continuing reluctance among large, prestigious ensembles to perform his works even now. He conveys his fear that audiences for new music continue to shrink.
All performers are in street clothes, without masks.
Narrator gives biographical sketch of this program's subject, Alban Berg. The Sinfonietta works on the Concerto for Piano, Violin, and 13 Wind Instruments. Crossley, the narrator, is also the pianist. Narrator explains that the work was a tribute to Arnold Schoenberg , and it includes cryptic references to the letters of his name, Anton Webern's and Berg's. The first variation is for piano solo.