Ernst Krenek stood between the opposing musical worlds of his mentors: on the one hand, Franz Schreker (an exponent of late Romanticism); on the other, Arnold Schoenberg (who pioneered new territory). His own development as a unique, modern musical voice was correspondingly slow. During his subsequent years of travel, his quest for new means of expression eventually led to two contrasting works: the jazz opera Jonny spielt auf and the twelve-tone opera Karl V.

From time to time he resorted to earlier stylistic idioms, as evidenced on this recording by Potpourrie (1927) and Tricks and trifles (1945)