Berg's Violin Concerto is atonal--yes, it's the "A" word, but you shouldn't let that keep you from getting to know this modern masterpiece; it's actually very listener-friendly. The music tells a story. The first movement is a character sketch of the young, flirtatious Manon Gropius, daughter of Alma Mahler and architect Walter Gropius. She died tragically of meningitis, and the second movement depicts the horrifying onset of her illness, her death, and her transfiguring apotheosis. Dedicated "to the memory of an angel," it's one of the most heartfelt and moving tributes imaginable. Stravinsky's much more abstract Violin Concerto is about being a violin concerto. Both works, modern classics, are exceptionally well played and recorded by Itzhak Perlman and Seiji Ozawa. Regarding Berg, this was a landmark recording of Perlman's both in his career as a performer and in the history of the work itself. For Perlman, generally perceived as a heart-on-sleeve traditionalist of the "old school," this venture into musical modernism confounded his detractors while at the same time introducing many new listeners to a work that, though difficult, has since come to be regarded as one of the touchstones of the Romantic concerto repertoire. Stravinsky's concerto is less controversial though no less well-played. In sum, these performances are landmarks in the Perlman discography. --David Hurwitz
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Love the Berg Concerto; Stravinsky Concerto is more Difficult:
In reviewing these two ultra-modern violin concertos, I'll start with the later. Stravinsky's Violin Concerto comes from his "Neo-Classical" phase. I must admit that aside from "The Rite of Spring" and "Ebony Concerto", there is not much in Stravinsky that moves me. Stravinsky, to me, is very difficult and cerebral. I suppose his "Neo-Classicism" was an attempt to get back to the style of Haydn and Mozart (which involved stripping away all forms of Romantic and late-Romantic sentiment). To me, this music... more info
Bland & Un-Committed Performances:
These are two of my favorite pieces, but the performances here are utterly bland and un-committed. Perlman merely saws through both with a mechanical, un-inflected proficiency - he often sounds like he's more in a hurry to get home. Ozawa is worse: he virtually sleepwalks his way through both scores, offering very little in the way of true collaboration. The orchestral commentary in both works just sort of wanders by, with little accentuation or inflection. In Perlman's equally bland account of the... more info
This a Masterpiece of Alban Berg:
Although atonal music is rather mechanic, Alban Berg's violin concerto is very sorrowful and romantic. Of course Perlman's performance is obviously magnificent. This is a "Must" recording for every deep classical music lovers.Highly recomended.
For the Stravinsky:
I listened to the vinyl version of this recording as a kid, and along with Schoenberg's string trio, it was basically my introduction to 20th century music. I have to say I usually do not have the stomach for the sustained tension in serial composers longer orchestral works. I respect them as composers and greatly enjoy a disc of Berg/Schoenberg/Webern piano music I have, but really have a difficult time with works such as this Berg and Schoenberg's piano concerto. (Although the Schoenberg string trio is an... more info
