The Violin Concerto was completed in 1935 by Austrian composer Alban Berg (1885 - 1935). It is dedicated "To the memory of an angel", referring to the death by polio of 18-year-old Manon Gropius, the daughter of Alma Mahler. This composition is generally seen as one of the easiest to start exploring the atonal world of Schoenberg and his disciples (of which Berg was a prominent one), and indeed its haunting beauty opened the gates for me to that world of sounds. The concerto is in two movements, each divided into two sections, as described in detail in the Wikipedia entry. The average playing time is 26 minutes (AllMusic). I have three versions, of which I would choose the one by Gidon Kremer and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Colin Davis on a Philips CD.
