Anton Webern

6 Bagatelles op. 9

Composed in 1913, Webern’s Six Bagatelles, Op. 9, are among the most radical and fascinating works of 20th-century music. In barely a handful of measures, each bagatelle condenses an entire world: the art of the musical aphorism taken to its extreme, in which every sound and every silence takes on essential significance. With dizzying concentration, these miniatures explore an atonal language of rare delicacy and intensity. The most delicate dynamics, shifting timbres, fleeting and floating gestures—everything is suggestive, as if whispered. From the restrained opening movement to the slowest passages, from an almost unreal stillness, listening becomes an act of the utmost attention, captivated by the fragile beauty of every moment. A key work of the Second Viennese School, these Bagatelles offer an experience of gripping purity—an essence of expression in which the minute becomes the essential.