Chamber Concerto Three Orchestral Pieces, Op. 6 Violin Concerto

No doctrinaire theorist, Berg composed communicative, emotional music without compromising his technical sophistication and atonal allegiances. The Chamber Concerto has its knotty moments, but also considerable charms. Barenboim's big-hearted, romantic pianism plays off Gawriloff's tart violin, the piquant winds, and Boulez's controlled leadership. The Three Pieces is as close as Berg ever came to writing a symphony; its mix of powerful orchestral outbursts and elegant section writing are reminiscent of Berg's beloved Mahler. The Violin Concerto's ardent warmth and tender lyricism, expressing Berg's meditations on death and redemption (including a direct quote from a Bach cantata) after the untimely passing of Manon Gropius, make it irresistible. The fine performance offers an alternative view to classic older recordings by Louis Krasner and Isaac Stern. Including most of his key instrumental works, this disc is an ideal introduction to Berg's genius. --Dan Davis