Isaac Stern, New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein - Alban Berg & Belá Bartók: Violin Concertos (2013) [SACD]

A generous collection of concertos which had a real impact in the pre-war years. Berg wrote his concerto in memory of Manon Gropius who died aged 19, the daughter of his muse Alma, Mahler’s widow. He himself died shortly afterwards of septicemia. It was his last completed work and became his own farewell piece. Bartók had a premonition of the horrors of the Second WorldWar. Stern and Bernstein convey the beauty and pathos of this masterpiece, which ultimately reflects faith in the brotherhood of Man. An immaculate new mastering in SACD.