Berg: Violin Concerto (1936) Krasner/Webern

This recording, taken from acetates, has been restored with Natural Sound.

Alban Berg
Violin Concerto
"To The Memory of an Angel"

Louis Krasner, violin
Anton Webern, conductor
BBC Symphony Orchestra

Recorded live May 1, 1936
at a private concert.

The Violin Concerto is Berg's best known work. Commissioned by Louis Krasner in 1935, it was completed in the fall of that year. For his inspiration, Berg was moved by the death of Manon Gropius, the daughter of his close friend, Alma Mahler. Titled "To The Memory of An Angel" it is filled with emotion, and one of the most accessible pieces of the Viennese Expressionist School.

The tragedy deepened, as Berg himself, succumbed to a sudden infection on December 24 of that same year. Although Webern was scheduled to conduct the premiere of the work, with Krasner as soloist, he begged off at the last minute; some believe he was simply too overwrought by his friend's death to make the performance. The premiere assignment went to Hermann Scherchen, who had to conduct it with less than 24 hours notice, at the Palau de la Música Catalana on April 9, 1936.

The present performance, which is the first one recorded, was conducted, with Webern on the podium, on May 1 of that same year. Taken from Krasner's own acetates, the concert was badly deteriorated with age.

Mastering: 10-11/2018
Engineer: Paul Howard

Stereo and mono are man-made concepts. This edition uses the natural acoustics of the recording to create what you hear, just as nature does in the real world.

Видео Berg: Violin Concerto (1936) Krasner/Webern канала Restoration Archive