Kammerkonzert (Berg)

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The Kammerkonzert für Klavier und Geige mit 13 Bläsern (Chamber Concerto for Piano and Violin with 13 Wind Instruments) is a chamber work by Austrian composer Alban Berg. It was written between 1923 and 1925. The short score was finished on February 9, 1925, and the full score on July 23, 1925. It premiered on March 19, 1927. The piece was written for the birthday of composer Arnold Schoenberg.

Instrumentation
The work is for piano and violin soloists with a wind ensemble of 13 players: piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn, E-flat clarinet, A clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, two French horns, trumpet, and trombone.

Three movements
- First movement: Mainly piano and wind instruments with a brief appearance by the violin. The main theme is constructed using a 12-tone row and is built to spell Berg’s name (and the names of two friends) in musical notes. The theme appears in five variations.
- Second movement: A long palindrome. The first half uses the prime form of the row, and the second half uses the retrograde form. The solo violin and the wind ensemble carry most of the music, with the piano entering at a turning point. In 1935 Berg made a separate version of this movement for piano, violin, and clarinet.
- Third movement: A large rondo for both soloists and the ensemble. It weaves together material from the first two movements and is built around a repeating rhythmic idea. A nearly 175-measure section is often omitted in performances.