Alban Berg im Bild. Fotografien und Darstellungen 1887–1935. Hardcover, 280 pages, with 297 illustrations partially in colour, Böhlau Verlag 2023, ISBN 978-3-205-21766-4, Format 21.5 x 28.6 x 2.2 cm, weight: 1281 g
There are a number of iconic pictures of Alban Berg. However, his estate also contains hundreds of other photographs that have been largely unseen by the general public to date. This bibliophilic book of illustrations grants a detailed insight into these materials for the first time. From the first known photo of Alban Berg as a two-year-old child, through to the last picture of the fifty-year-old composer dating from the year of his death, all important stages of Alban Berg’s life are captured in photographic documents. The six thematically structured chapters reflect upon his background and family, his cultural environment with composition teacher Arnold Schönberg and other role models such as Karl Kraus and Adolf Loos, his personal life and marriage to Helene, as well as leisure pursuits such as driving his car and attending football matches, and also Berg’s time as a soldier during World War I. An extensive closing section shows the composer at work and also enjoying successful performances. These representative artistic illustrations – shown for the first time in this context – ultimately help to comprehend that Berg became an icon of modernism even during his own lifetime.
Reviews
Mittwochs um zwölf – Der Blog zur klassischen Musik, “Ein Mensch und seine Gesichter Alban Berg in einem opulenten Bildband”, [A man and his faces – Alban Berg in an opulently illustrated book] Review by Peter Hagmann, 21 February 2024
What a fine book. What a lovely book. What an intimate book. … The attraction of the formal layout chosen by Ender is unquestionably the fact that you spontaneously allow the pictures and their expressiveness to take effect, and you are therefore able to take your own step closer to the person being presented. After all, the composer takes centre stage here – it is indeed all about pictures of Alban Berg. It is extremely impressive to see the differences discernible in what is actually the same face; you almost feel as though that Berg is about to speak for himself.
Die Presse, “Wir dürfen in Alban Bergs privatem Fotoalbum blättern” [Leafing through Alban Berg’s personal photo album], Review by Wilhelm Sinkovicz, 10 January 2024, p. 24
Alban Berg was much more versatile than rumour goes. He was keen to learn and studied with the father of Viennese Modernism, Arnold Schönberg,
and it can certainly be said that he found favour with audiences much sooner than his teacher. He was also a passionate football fan and an enthusiastic
reader of modernist literature … all this is reflected in the book, as is the profound impact of World War I on the Bergs’ life.
At the other end of the scale, documents show cheerful groups of people and idyllic summer vacations,
where Berg’s works took shape – whether in Trahütten, Styria or Lake Wörth in Carinthia. It was not long before Berg became a public figure, as shown in the final chapters of the book…
mehrlicht.keuk.de, review by Alexander Keuk, 6 February 2024
rauchenwald-classic.com
concerti.de, review by Sören Ingwersen,
klassik-begeistert.de, review by Peter Sommeregger, 10 August 2023