Verklärte Nacht was originally composed for string sextet (1899), and was orchestrated by Schönberg in 1917 and 1943. Inspired by the poem of the same name by Richard Dehmel, this programmatic work was Schönberg’s first major score, a milestone in the development of a revolutionary musical language. Meanwhile, in 1936, Bartók composed Music for strings, percussion and celesta for an unconventional instrumental ensemble. Two groups of strings, spatially separated by a large percussion section, drive a score that is also a synthesis of Bartók’s organic musical writing.