Berg - Violin Concerto

Berg – Violin Concerto - 4/5 Stars

Berg does a wonderful job of combining both a clear 12-tone technique with a slightly more tonal style. His usage of 12-tone rows is clearly influenced by his teacher—Arnold Schoenberg. I find myself drawn more toward Berg’s music simply because his tonal moments ground his pieces and give the ears something to cling to. 12-tone technique can often sound very random and give the impression of chaos. However, mixing in some tonal aspects makes the serialistic moments seem like an adventure instead of random chaos. One aspect I really enjoyed was the way Berg employed his rows. He frequently spaced his rows out to span several octaves—giving the piece an arpeggiated, leaping sensation—always expanding or contracting. This is, in my opinion, much more favorable than small, stepwise motion.

If you’re looking to expand your ear a bit and try to get into 12-tone and serialism composers, Berg’s violin concerto is the perfect way to sample the water considering its palatable application of rows and its mixture of tonality. Also, this piece is very virtuosic for the soloist, and who doesn't enjoy watching a violinist sweat?? ;)