Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996)

[Maciek]

I wish I had some of those Olympia releases. I don't think I've ever seen them here, not even back in the days when there were lots of Olympia CDs around. Or else how come I haven't got any?

[Dundonnell]

According to David Fanning in this month's Gramophone magazine(received today) Weinberg did actually compose a 20th and a 21st symphony and left a 22nd unorchestrated. The composer was joking when he told an interviewer that he was using the appellation Chamber Symphony because he did not want to go on using high numbers after Symphony No. 19!

Will write more about the Olympia series later(still recovering from hospital surgery yesterday).

[Dundonnell]

That is extremely interesting information, Jeffrey!

Although I missed out on the Olympia coupling of the Kabalevsky 3rd and 4th Symphonies(fortunately now replaced by the CPO set of all four!), I did manage to acquire Lev Knipper's 4th, all five of Vissarion Shebalin's symphonies, Gavril Popov's 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th and
Boris Tishchenko's 5th Symphony and Violin Concerto No.2

The orchestral Weinberg on Olympia are/were-

Symphony No.2 for string orchestra(1945-46) coupled with Chamber Symphony No.2 for string orchestra and timpani: Umea Symphony
    Orchestra/Thord Svedlund) (both recorded 1998) OCD 652(Vol. 16)

Symphony No.4(1961): Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra/Kirill Kondrashin(recorded 1974) coupled with Violin Concerto: Leonid Kogan with
    the same orchestra and conductor(recorded 1961) and the Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes: USSR Academic Symphony Orchestra/
    Yevgeny Svetlanov(recorded 1976) OCD 622(Vol. 10)

Symphony No.6(1963): Moscow School Boys Choir and Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra/Kirill Kondrashin(recorded 1974)coupled with
     Symphony No.10(1968): Moscow Chamber Orchestra/Rudolf Barshai(recorded 1970) OCD 471 (Vol. 1)

Symphony No. 7 for string orchestra and harpsichord(1964): Moscow Chamber Orchestra/Rudolf Barshai(recorded 1967), coupled with
     Symphony No.12(In memory of Dmitri Shostakovich)(1976): USSR TV and Radio Symphony Orchestra/Maxim Shostakovich(recorded
      1979) OCD 472 (Vol. 2)

Symphony No.14(1977)(recorded 1980) coupled with Symphony No. 18 "War-there is no word more cruel" for orchestra and chorus(1984)
    (recorded 1985): USSR Radio Symphony Orchestra/Vladimir Fedoseyev OCD 589 (Vol. 6)

Symphony No.17 "Memory"(1982) (recorded 1984) coupled with Symphonic Poem "The Banners of Peace"(recorded 1986): USSR Radio
     Symphony Orchestra/Vladimir Fedoseyev OCD 590 (Vol. 7)

Symphony No. 19 "The Bright May"(1985)(recorded 1986) coupled with Chamber Symphony No.3(recorded 1991): USSR Radio Symphony
     Orchestra/Vladimir Fedoseyev OCD 591 (Volume Eight)

Chamber Symphony No.1 for string orchestra(1986) coupled with Chamber Symphony No.4 for string orchestra and clarinet(1992): Umea
       Symphony Orchestra/Thord Svedlund (both recorded 1998) (Vol. 15). Alto has just reissued this disc.

I have all of these

In addition, Vol. 3 of the series included the Ballet Suites from "The Golden Key" while Vols. 4-5, 9, 11-14 consisted of chamber and instrumental music(sorry...too much to list here )

That would be a tremendous amount for Alto to reissue-even if they could

[Maciek]

Jeffrey, thanks for the Miaskovsky anecdote, depressing as it is. And Colin, that list of yours will come in very handy, thank you too.

Well, one of the main reasons why I miss Olympia is not the Russian music (though I have a couple of those discs as well) but the Polish music. Stuff like the Musica Antiqua Polonica series (I hope I'm not misremembering the name, can't find any disc at the moment). But most of all, the 19th century and CONTEMPORARY discs. Some of their Polish releases are absolutely priceless, in a musical sense - though the Polish music (luckily for me 0:)) does not fetch the same high prices as the Russian does. Still, these CDs are rather scarce and apart from the 15 or so I bought while the label was still alive, I've only been able to pick up 4 or 5. Living in a country with practically no used CD market and one not included into the Amazon Payments (Marketplace) system doesn't help either...

[Maciek]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this but Toccata has released a disc of Weinberg songs (volume one of a complete set!). Also available as a download from their site.

[Dundonnell]

I have just cottoned on the fact that these Olympia discs are selling for £30-70 or so on Amazon.

I am so glad that I bought them when I could   Sorry!-this is no consolation to anybody else-they are not for sale

[Daverz]

Another recommendable disc was a recording of Weinberg's Cello Concerto on the Talent label:

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-25614289_ITM (ARG review)
http://www.tower.com/shostakovich-vainberg-levitine-cello-concerti-drobinsky-fuat-mansurov-cd/wapi/106559911

[Daverz]

Symphony No.4(1961): Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra/Kirill Kondrashin(recorded 1974) coupled with Violin Concerto: Leonid Kogan with
    the same orchestra and conductor(recorded 1961) and the Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes: USSR Academic Symphony Orchestra/
    Yevgeny Svetlanov(recorded 1976) OCD 622(Vol. 10)

Symphony No.6(1963): Moscow School Boys Choir and Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra/Kirill Kondrashin(recorded 1974)coupled with
     Symphony No.10(1968): Moscow Chamber Orchestra/Rudolf Barshai(recorded 1970) OCD 471 (Vol. 1)

The 4 & 6 are now on a single Molodiya CD

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/7606733

[Daverz]

Apart from Symphony 5 and 6 my favourite work is the Piano Quintet Op 18; worthy to stand alongside that of his friend Shostakovich. Difficult to find as it was on Olympia. Maybe I'll pester Alto to reissue it.

Melodiya has issued it: http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/3559020

[vandermolen]

Melodiya has issued it: http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/3559020

Thanks very much for this. I hope though that Alto may yet issue Weinberg's 6th Symphony which doesn't appear to be otherwise available.

[vandermolen]

Just read Daverz's post. I am quite wrong. Weinberg's great 6th Symphony is on Melodiya. Good news.

[springrite]

Of the symphonies I have (not counting the chamber symphonies), 6 and 10 are my favorites. I have only listened to the complete piano sonatas twice and did not leave with much of an impression, which I hope will come.

The comments on the solo cello works are right on. They surely do not appeal upon first or second hearing. But after 4 or 5 times, I am loving them right now.

[vandermolen]

Does anyone know how I can find a list of CDs available on Melodiya? It is a rather elusive label.

Thank you

[bhodges]

Here is my write-up of a recent concert of Weinberg's music, and thanks again to those of you here who put him on my radar.  I have ordered the ARC Ensemble's disc (on RCA) with much of the same program, including the Piano Quintet.

--Bruce

[vandermolen]

Here is my write-up of a recent concert of Weinberg's music, and thanks again to those of you here who put him on my radar.  I have ordered the ARC Ensemble's disc (on RCA) with much of the same program, including the Piano Quintet.

--Bruce

V informative review Bruce. I have just received the CD and your review has encouraged me to listen to it asap. I have the fine Olympia of the Piano Quintet. It is a great work.

Jeffrey

[bhodges]

V informative review Bruce. I have just received the CD and your review has encouraged me to listen to it asap. I have the fine Olympia of the Piano Quintet. It is a great work.

Jeffrey

Thanks, Jeffrey!  And I appreciate knowing about the Olympia recording of the Quintet, since I'll probably be eager to hear several versions.  What a discovery!

--Bruce

[Maciek]

Thanks for the link, Bruce! Now looking forward to hearing the recording even more.

[PaulR]

With each listen, I'm getting to like Weinberg more and more.  One piece that I found due to my liking of Shostakovich, was the Solo Double Bass Sonata (Found it through Lemur music, which is an online store for bass players, by searching "Shostakovich" to see if someone transcribed anything of his for the bass, and his name came up, and I found and bought the Weinberg piece.) I don't think there is any recordings available.

But it's a very cool piece.  Last semester, I worked on the fourth and fifth movements of the piece.  It's more or less modeled after a baroque suite or sonata.  The fourth movement being a minuet and trio sort of thing, and the fifth movement being a sarabande.  The fifth movement was the harder one, because of the extreme shifts involved, and didn't perform it very well when I played it.  But it's a great piece of music.  I just wish there was a recording of it available.

[rubio]

I consider trying Weinberg's Cello Concerto. I can see they have Rostropovich/Rozhdestvesnky (EMI) in the shop here. Does there exist any better performances of this concerto? Is it one of Weinberg's better works?

[Maciek]

I really don't have enough overall knowledge of Weinberg to say if the piece is one of his better works but it's certainly very good, I would recommend it. I only know the Rostropovich - does anyone know if there are any other recording around? (Not that I feel the Rostropovich lacking in any department whatsoever.)