One of the most moving violin concertos of the 20th century comes to Tenerife this week.
Mallorcan violinist Francisco Fullana will perform Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto, ‘In Memory of an Angel’, with the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra on Friday 18 September at the Auditorio de Tenerife.
The concert begins at 7:30pm in the Sala Sinfónica, with Ilan Volkov conducting.
It forms part of the orchestra’s ‘Liberty Bell’ programme, bringing together works by Julia Wolfe, Alban Berg and Leoš Janáček.
A concerto born from tragedy
Berg composed his Violin Concerto in 1935 following the death of Manon Gropius, the 18-year-old daughter of Alma Mahler and architect Walter Gropius, who died from polio.
He dedicated the work ‘To the memory of an angel’.
The music begins with a sense of innocence, youth and vitality before moving into darker territory as the tragedy unfolds.
The final section brings something very different, with a feeling of calm and acceptance through Bach’s chorale ‘Es ist genug’, or ‘It is enough’.
Although Berg used twelve-tone composition techniques, the concerto is far from cold or inaccessible. There are echoes of Viennese waltzes, a folk melody from Carinthia and the spirituality of Bach woven into the score.
The result is an unusually human piece of music, moving from youth and tenderness through grief and eventually towards something approaching peace.
A very special violin
Fullana will perform on the ‘Mary Portman’ Guarneri del Gesù, made in 1735 and previously owned by legendary violinist Fritz Kreisler.
The instrument has been loaned to Fullana by Clement and Karen Arrison through the Stradivari Society of Chicago, of which the violinist has been a member since 2013.
Fullana has described the instrument as an artistic partner, with its own personality and character that continues to develop with each performance.
His playing has received considerable international praise. BBC Music Magazine has compared the warmth of his sound to Itzhak Perlman, combined with the aristocratic style of Henryk Szeryng.
An international career
Born in Palma de Mallorca and now based in New York, Fullana has built an international career as a soloist, chamber musician, conductor and artistic creator.
He has performed with orchestras across Europe, the United States and Latin America and has worked with conductors including Gustavo Dudamel, Sir Colin Davis, Hans Graf, Christoph Poppen and Carlos Miguel Prieto.
Among his many awards is the Avery Fisher Career Grant, which he received in 2018.
He also won first prize at the Munetsugu Angel International Violin Competition in Japan, along with its four special awards, including the Audience Prize.
His recordings have also attracted attention, with more than 10 million streams across digital platforms.
Julia Wolfe and Janáček complete the programme
The evening opens with ‘Liberty Bell’ by Julia Wolfe, a work inspired by Philadelphia’s famous Liberty Bell and being performed by the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra for the first time.
After Berg’s violin concerto, the second half features Leoš Janáček’s Sinfonietta, in an arrangement by Joseph Keilberth.
The piece is packed with bright brass writing, rhythmic energy and a distinctly ceremonial feel, providing a rather more triumphant ending after the emotional weight of Berg.
A little introduction before the music
There will also be a pre-concert talk at 6:30pm, with Lourdes Bonnet from the Asociación Tinerfeña de Amigos de la Música (ATADEM).
The talk takes place in the Sala Avenida, in the entrance hall of the Auditorio de Tenerife.
Admission to the talk is free until capacity is reached.
Friday 18 September 2026
7:30pm
Sala Sinfónica, Auditorio de Tenerife
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
For anyone who enjoys classical music, this looks like a particularly strong start to the Tenerife Symphony’s new season.