The world première of Schoenberg`s String Quartets No. 1 & 2 and the Chamber Symphony op. 9 indicate a turning
point in the development of musical modernity. In 1907 and 1908 the concerts caused remarkable scandals in
Vienna. About 140 reactions to five concerts collected in the volume show the attitude of the critics which is not as
conservative as one would expect. Furthermore, they reveal a change of aesthetic paradigms that created more
irritation than any technical innovation. Unconsciously perceived, an inner order (like hidden motivic correlations)
makes an intelligible order at the surface of a composition unnecessary. Music ceases addressing the listener`s
memory. The formal parts are isolated; they are not necessarily perceived as elements of an ongoing process.
The comprehensive introduction to the documentary deals with the scandal being a phenomenon of the public in the
era of modernity, with the course of events, the Viennese critics, Schoenberg`s close ties with tradition, and finally
the effects of his new aesthetic on the structure of the works performed.