‘Begleitmusik zu einer Lichtspielszene’ for orchestra, op.34

The ‘Begleitmusik zu einer Lichtspielszene’ was composed between October 1929 and February 1930 and is Schönberg's second orchestral composition in the dodecaphonic style. Otto Klemperer conducted the premiere on 6 November 1930 at the Kroll Opera House in Berlin, and the work was an immediate success. Contrary to what the title suggests, Schönberg did not compose the ‘incidental music’ for an existing film or a specific scene, but for an imaginary film. The subtitles ‘Imminent danger, fear, catastrophe’ refer to the programme underlying the highly expressive music. Performers have always been tempted to supplement the ‘incidental music’ with an ‘accompanying film’.