4 Stücke für Klarinette und Klavier, Op. 5 (4 Pieces for Clarinet and Piano)

Four extremely compressed pieces for clarinet and piano composed 1913 and published 1920. Berg's shortest published opus — the entire set lasts approximately 7 minutes. Written in free atonality, each piece is a world compressed to its essence: the first is a Mäßig (moderate) piece of extraordinary concentration; the second, Sehr langsam (very slow), lasts barely a minute; the third, Sehr rasch (very fast), is a brief eruption; the fourth, Langsam (slow), closes in a hushed, suspended stillness. A landmark of expressionist chamber music.