Listening (Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31)

Schoenberg's post war composition is a big change from Pierrot Lunaire. I can clearly hear the use of the twelve tonal scale, and how it creates a completely different effect from his previous works. This piece seems to use the random sounding style in a way that actually has a pattern. While that doesn't seem to make sense it has an interesting effect to it. I feel that the song has many surprises, however there is a constant building tension. A major difference between this piece and Pierrot Lunaire is that this song is much brighter and not as ambiguously stringent. Overall, I like Schoenberg's post war work much more than his earlier compositions.