Violin Concerto (Berg)

Alban Berg's Violin Concerto was written in 1935 (the score is dated August 11, 1935). It is probably Berg's best known and most often performed piece.

Conception and composition

The piece stemmed from a commission from the violinist Louis Krasner. When he first received the commission, Berg was working on his opera Lulu, and he did not begin work on the concerto for some months. The event which spurred him into writing was the death of Manon Gropius, the daughter of Alma Mahler (once Gustav Mahler's wife) and Walter Gropius. Berg set Lulu to one side to write the concerto, which he dedicated "To the memory of an angel."

Related Topics:
Violin - Louis Krasner - Opera - Lulu - Concerto - Alma Mahler - Gustav Mahler - Walter Gropius

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Berg worked on the piece very quickly, completing it within a few months, although it is thought that his working on the piece was largely responsible for his failing to complete Lulu before his death on December 24, 1935 (the violin concerto was the last work that Berg completed). The work was premiered after the composer's death, with Krasner playing the solo part on April 19, 1936.

Related Topics:
April 19 - 1936

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