Gidon Kremer/Alban Berg - Violin Concert - Naxos Deutschland

The composer Alban Berg (1885-1935), a pupil and associate of Schoenberg, lived in the mainstream of well-to-do Austrian society. His marriage to the beautiful Helene was thought to be made in heaven. But how can this doyen of Viennese respectability be reconciled with the composer who wrote the dark operas 'Wozzeck' and 'Lulu'?
Soprano Kristine Ciesinski, who fearures in specially-staged extracts from 'Lulu' and 'Wozzeck' and sings 'Nacht' from 'Seven Early Songs', travels to Vienna, Prague, the USA and Germany to investigate Berg's life...
Composers George Perle, Friedrich Cerha, Gottfried von Einem and Geoffrey Poole, together with musicians and musicologist, help illuminate the story of this important composer, while Bern's music underscores his complex passions and obsessions. The performances are by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Elgar Howarth, and the McCapra String Quartet. Baritone Norman Bailey takes the parts of the Animal Tamer and Dr. Schön in 'Lulu'.