Alban Berg's Piano Sonata, Op. 1, is a landmark of early 20th-century modernism, representing the ultimate evolution of the late-Romantic tradition into something entirely new. Composed between 1907 and 1908 under the tutelage of Arnold Schoenberg, this single-movement work is a masterclass in developing variation, where a handful of small melodic cells are constantly transformed to create a dense, organic structure. While technically centered in B minor, the sonata pushes tonal boundaries to their breaking point through restless chromaticism and soaring, Wagnerian gestures. It is a work of immense emotional volatility, shifting from introspective lyricism to thundering climaxes, perfectly capturing the "Fin de siecle" spirit of Vienna.
This edition is a reissue of music originally published by Muzyka, Moscow.