Various Composers - Viennese Music (Alban Berg Quartett)

Information

• Johann Strauss I - Eisele- und Beisele-Sprünge, Op. 202 (arr. Alexander Weinmann)
• Joseph Haydn - String Quartet in C Major, Op. 76 No. 3, Hob. III:77 "Emperor"
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quartet No. 17 in B-Flat Major, Op. 10 No. 3, K. 458 "Hunt"
• Franz Schubert - String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D. 810 "Death and the Maiden"
• Ludwig van Beethoven - String Quartet No. 6 in B-Flat Major, Op. 18 No. 6
• Anton Webern - 5 Movements for String Quartet, Op. 5
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K. 465 "Dissonance"
• Ludwig van Beethoven - String Quartet No. 14 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131
• Franz Schubert - Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. Posth. 114, D. 667 "The Trout"
• Alban Berg - Lyric Suite for String Quartet
• Joseph Haydn - String Quartet in C Major, Op. 33 No. 3, Hob. III:39 "The Bird"
• Ludwig van Beethoven - String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59 No. 1 "Razumovsky"
• Joseph Lanner - Steyrische-Tänze, Op. 165 (arr. Alexander Weinmann)
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quintet No. 4 in G Minor, K. 516
• Franz Schubert - String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor, Op. 29, D. 804 "Rosamunde"
• Ludwig van Beethoven - String Quartet No. 10 in E-Flat Major, Op. 74 "Harp"
• Joseph Haydn - String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 76 No. 4, Hob. III:78 "Sunrise"
• Johann Strauss I - Annen-Polka, Op. 137 (arr. Alexander Weinmann)
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K. 414
• Alban Berg - String Quartet, Op. 3
• Franz Schubert - String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, Op. Posth. 161, D. 887
• Johann Strauss II - Wein, Weib und Gesang, Op. 333 (arr. Alban Berg)
• Johann Strauss II - Kaiser-Walzer, Op. 437 (arr. Arnold Schoenberg)
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quartet No. 14 in G Major, Op. 10 No. 1, K. 387 "Spring"

Alban Berg Quartett

Compilation: 2025

Label: Warner Classics

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Founded in 1971, the Alban Berg Quartet quickly rose to international prominence as one of the world’s finest string quartets. Formed by members of a Viennese chamber orchestra, the ensemble chose its name to honor Alban Berg, reflecting both his ties to the avant-garde Second Viennese School and his grounding in tradition. The quartet aimed to balance Romantic and contemporary repertoire, interpreting music through consensus rather than individual dominance.

Renowned for its impeccable ensemble playing, warm tone, and rhythmic precision, the Quartet recorded complete cycles of quartets by Beethoven, Brahms, and Bartók, along with works by Mozart, Haydn, Dvořák, Janáček, Ravel, and Debussy. Their discography also included contemporary composers such as Webern, Berio, Schnittke, and Rihm, many of whom wrote specifically for them. A 1977 tribute tour featured only Schubert’s music.

Founding members Günter Pichler, Gerhard Schulz, Thomas Kakuska, and Valentin Erben also taught at Vienna’s Hochschule für Musik and in Cologne. The group won over 30 major international recording awards. After Kakuska’s death in 2005, his student Isabel Charisius stepped in, but the Quartet chose to disband in 2008, ending a distinguished and influential career.