In its very choice of name, the Alban Berg Quartett chose to honour the musical tradition of its native Vienna: the works of Alban Berg exemplify the city’s dual sense of continuity and innovation as they reconcile atonality with sensuous lyricism. Aptly, Günter Pichler – the leader of the Alban Berg Quartett – has said that the spirit of authentic Viennese interpretation lies in “the mixture of intellectual thinking and the feeling for sound”.