Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996)

[Karl Henning]

Returning tomorrow, actually. A wise decision, Karl - I'll have to get back to work on that set soon.

Very good!  Just got a message to expect delivery late next week.

[André]

I had not listened to this in many years.



Any modern recommendation for the 10th ? This Barshai version is musically excellent, but in mono.

[SymphonicAddict]

I had not listened to this in many years.



Any modern recommendation for the 10th ? This Barshai version is musically excellent, but in mono.

Try the recording with Kremer and Kremerata Baltica, it's a good rendition of this wild and gripping work. BTW, this is one of my favorite ones by Weinberg.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00GY6Z3LA/musicwebuk

[vandermolen]

I had not listened to this in many years.



Any modern recommendation for the 10th ? This Barshai version is musically excellent, but in mono.

Wonderful performance of Symphony 6 with its children's choir - a very moving work.

[relm1]

I have this one which I am very fond of and find the Shosti piece equally moving.

[André]

The Kremer 10 (+ piano quintet etc) is in my cart ! It is indeed a strange but very compelling work, more's the pity that the mono sound fails to do justice to Barshai's interpretation.

Yes, the 6th is indeed a great work, and Kondrashin loves it immensely !

[vandermolen]

The Kremer 10 (+ piano quintet etc) is in my cart ! It is indeed a strange but very compelling work, more's the pity that the mono sound fails to do justice to Barshai's interpretation.

Yes, the 6th is indeed a great work, and Kondrashin loves it immensely !

Yes indeed re Kondrashin - my favourite soviet-era conductor. I had the LP. Took me a while to realise how moving a work Symphony 6 is. Spiritually linked to Shostakovich's 'Babi-Yar' Symphony 13 in a way. I first heard it in my 20s when I mainly listened to orchestral works. Weinberg's 6th Symphony was one of the first choral works I really appreciated apart from the choral works of Vaughan Williams.

[Karl Henning]

The Kremer 10 (+ piano quintet etc) is in my cart ! It is indeed a strange but very compelling work, more's the pity that the mono sound fails to do justice to Barshai's interpretation.

Yes, the 6th is indeed a great work, and Kondrashin loves it immensely !

Yes, the pf quintet is exquisite!  And . . . this means (I think) the third performance of this piece I shall have heard.

[André]

I have all the Olympia symphony discs (5 or 6 if I'm not mistaken). A few years ago I made copies of them for a fellow poster (don't remember who), and sent along the booklets, with the proviso that they be returned once copied ( I couldn't be bothered to make copies of all those pages). I never saw the booklets again  .At least I have the music !

[Karl Henning]

I feel your pain!

[Karl Henning]

(Cross-post)

Pleased to find that the Quintet (of which I already had two recordings) is an arrangement for piano, string orchestra . . . & percussion.

Less annoyed 0:) than I thought I might be that, in fact, the first three Chamber Symphonies do indeed consist substantially of reworkings of quartets—"The changes between the Second Quartet and the Chamber Symphony № 1 are minor"; "The [Chamber Symphony № 2] is in large part a transcription of his third sting quartet"; "Three out of four movements of the Chamber Symphony № 3 (1990), are either based on or actual transcriptions from his String Quartet № 5 (composed in June/July 1945)."  They are, after all, the composer's own work of adaptation, and to be sure, I have yet to firm up my acquaintance of even those few of the quartets which I have already heard.

[BasilValentine]

I wish someone would record the complete piano sonatas. It is a wonderful and varied body of work that I have been listening to piecemeal on youtube. Not to mention a box set of the complete symphonies. I'd by both immediately.

[SymphonicAddict]

I wish someone would record the complete piano sonatas. It is a wonderful and varied body of work that I have been listening to piecemeal on youtube. Not to mention a box set of the complete symphonies. I'd by both immediately.

A complete recording of the sonatas exists, the pianist who performed them is Allison Brewster Franzetti (Grand Piano label), in fact, all the piano works are recorded (at least it says in the set title). They are substantial, highly absorbing. All the symphonies aren't recorded completely (9, 11, 13 and 15 are missing, sadly).

[Karl Henning]

I'm working my way backwards through the quartets, now that the box has landed.  Of course, that means hopping from CD to CD.  It's a rough life

So, having now listened to n^os. 17 & 16, I don't mind saying that I feel the box has already vindicated the purchase.

[André]

I'm working my way backwards through the quartets, now that the box has landed.  Of course, that means hopping from CD to CD.  It's a rough life

So, having now listened to n^os. 17 & 16, I don't mind saying that I feel the box has already vindicated the purchase.

I guess I should do something like that, but knowing me, I'd probably start with the 1st quartet, not the last. When I listened to the box (disc by disc, each one having its own 'program') I had good moments, but the whole failed to impress me as I suspect it should have. A reappraisal is in order.

[BasilValentine]

A complete recording of the sonatas exists, the pianist who performed them is Allison Brewster Franzetti (Grand Piano label), in fact, all the piano works are recorded (at least it says in the set title). They are substantial, highly absorbing. All the symphonies aren't recorded completely (9, 11, 13 and 15 are missing, sadly).

Thanks! I'll do another, more specific, search.

[SurprisedByBeauty]

A complete recording of the sonatas exists, the pianist who performed them is Allison Brewster Franzetti (Grand Piano label), in fact, all the piano works are recorded (at least it says in the set title). They are substantial, highly absorbing. All the symphonies aren't recorded completely (9, 11, 13 and 15 are missing, sadly).

Unfortunately Allison Brewster Franzetti really isn't a particularly interesting pianist. Even Jascha Nemtsov would be (is) better, and he's not terribly good, either. I'm hoping on oh... whatshisname... records a lot of all Schumann for Haenssler... Florian Uhlig! I hope he or someone of his caliber will tackle the sonatas before long.

[Karl Henning]

And Weinberg was by all accounts such a good pianist (recall the four-hands recording of the Shostakovich Tenth with the composer), his piano sonatas demand a first-rate outing.

Separately . . .

[...] respect and influence between Shostakovich and Weinberg were mutual.  Both left an imposing body of symphonies amd string quartets — in Weinberg's case numbering 26 and 17, respectively.  In addition Weinberg composed six concertos, seven operas, three ballets, four cantatas, some 23 sonatas and upwards of 200 songs.

[amw]

Murray McLachlan recorded the complete sonatas on Olympia ages ago and they may still be available somewhere, I'm not sure. Perhaps a Melodiya reissue is likely in the future. I have no issues with his performances.

[North Star]

Murray McLachlan recorded the complete sonatas on Olympia ages ago and they may still be available somewhere, I'm not sure. Perhaps a Melodiya reissue is likely in the future. I have no issues with his performances.

They are indeed available.
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