"Pierrot lunaire is for a small orchestra and a singer who sings and half-speaks. Based on 21 selected poems from the Belgian Symbolist poet Albert Giraud, Schönberg’s music invites you to a one-of-a-kind experience: sometimes beautiful, sometimes grotesque, and sometimes both at the same time – you might be surprised!" – Kazushi Ono

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Even after a century and a half, the name Arnold Schönberg still inspires fear in some people. The festival Aimez-vous Schönberg celebrates his jubilee year and will probably help you break free of that phobia.

Because although we generally associate the man with his sometimes somewhat calculated twelve-tone technique, there is a wealth of repertoire that is rarely heard because the dodecaphony hangs over Arnold’s head like the sword of Damocles.

It turns out that the younger Arnold could just as easily look over his shoulder romantically or be inspired by the art movements around him. This weekend with Pierrot lunaire and Verklärte Nacht is all about his connection with symbolism…