This chamber music work, composed in 1907/08, marks a turning point not only in Schönberg’s output, but also for the history of modern music in general. Major-minor tonality, obligatory for centuries, is increasingly abandoned over the four movements in favour of a free atonality.

This break with music-historical tradition goes hand-in-hand with a further breach of convention; in the last two movements, Schönberg includes a solo soprano singing settings of two poems by Stefan George. With the...