The theatrical world premiere of the late composer Arnold Schoenberg’s opera “Moses and Aron” was performed here as high point of the “World Music Festival” sponsored by the International Society for Contemporary Music, with prominent critics from all parts of the world in attendance. The Zurich Council made available a special subsidy of $40,000 to stage the world premiere which was performed by the Zurich Opera.
Vienna-born Schoenberg, the foremost pioneer of atonal music, was 77 years old when he died at Los Angeles in 1951. Having returned to Judaism in his adulthood, he created this compelling musical opus just before the blight of Hitlerism descended upon Germany’s cultural life. Although he wrote the libretto for the entire work, he provided the music and orchestration for but two of the three acts. Only these two acts were performed.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
