Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996)

Started by Maciek, November 13, 2008, 01:32:49 AM

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jlaurson

Quote from: milk on October 05, 2013, 01:34:02 AM
Ah yes. You're right. Thanks. I misread this. And this is the second time in the last day or so that I've written "I misread this" in this forum. Oops! Not Treblinka but Trawniki. Yes, I see: He wouldn't have known his parents' and sister's fate at that point. Perhaps he was aware of the bleak situation at the Lodz ghetto. Perhaps he had lost contact with them by '45. In any case, I'm really falling for Weinberg's music: The cello sonata, piano quintet and piano trio - all written around this same time.

He had lost contact; he'd just been ushered to Tashkent in 43 and then was allowed to move to Moscow in 44 and that's when news (and propaganda) of what the Nazis had done in Poland and beyond would have gotten there, at the latest.

Try the Viola Sonatas (unaccompanied), the Clarinet Sonata, and the Violin Sonatas too, perhaps! And of course you have the Borodin recording of the Quintet, right? A rightful classic! New recording of the Violin Concerto coming out, late this year... on Challenge, like the Violin Sonatas.

milk

Quote from: jlaurson on October 05, 2013, 01:47:47 AM
He had lost contact; he'd just been ushered to Tashkent in 43 and then was allowed to move to Moscow in 44 and that's when news (and propaganda) of what the Nazis had done in Poland and beyond would have gotten there, at the latest.

Try the Viola Sonatas (unaccompanied), the Clarinet Sonata, and the Violin Sonatas too, perhaps! And of course you have the Borodin recording of the Quintet, right? A rightful classic! New recording of the Violin Concerto coming out, late this year... on Challenge, like the Violin Sonatas.
Actually, for the piano Quintet I have the Szymanowski Quartet (with Matthias Kirschnereit) and Doris Adam with EOS Quartet. I don't have the Borodin one. I do also have the clarinet sonata. It's great. Thanks for the recommendations. I will search out the others.   

jlaurson

Quote from: milk on October 05, 2013, 01:58:53 AM
Actually, for the piano Quintet I have the Szymanowski Quartet (with Matthias Kirschnereit) and Doris Adam with EOS Quartet. I don't have the Borodin one. I do also have the clarinet sonata. It's great. Thanks for the recommendations. I will search out the others.

You'll find the link to the Borodin on the "Viola Sonata" linked article... it's with Weinberg himself on Piano, as a bonus!

milk

Quote from: jlaurson on October 05, 2013, 02:10:54 AM
You'll find the link to the Borodin on the "Viola Sonata" linked article... it's with Weinberg himself on Piano, as a bonus!
Very informative article! Thanks! Well, you've definitely convinced me to go for Adler's viola recording. For the violin sonatas, there's a bit of competition I see.

jlaurson

Quote from: milk on October 05, 2013, 02:22:26 AM
Very informative article! Thanks! Well, you've definitely convinced me to go for Adler's viola recording. For the violin sonatas, there's a bit of competition I see.

Only one set is complete, as of yet (and even then there are two Variation bits missing which were discovered only after it was released)... the Toccata Classics recordings will continue toward completion and include all the solo violin works, too. I'm biased about the Challenge Classics recording, because I was marginally involved with it.

milk

Quote from: jlaurson on October 05, 2013, 02:44:49 AM
Only one set is complete, as of yet (and even then there are two Variation bits missing which were discovered only after it was released)... the Toccata Classics recordings will continue toward completion and include all the solo violin works, too. I'm biased about the Challenge Classics recording, because I was marginally involved with it.
Then the Challenge is the easiest way to go at this point. I just listened to Dmitry Yablonsky & Hsin-ni Liu's reading of the cello sonata on the way to pick up dinner. Exhilarating and harrowing! I think Weinberg and Koechlin are the two really important discoveries for me this year.

jlaurson

Quote from: milk on October 05, 2013, 03:14:08 AM
Then the Challenge is the easiest way to go at this point. ...

It's said to contain the best liner notes.


[cough cough]  ;)

milk

Quote from: jlaurson on October 05, 2013, 04:24:15 AM
It's said to contain the best liner notes.


[cough cough]  ;)
No! My download didn't include them!!! Is there any way I can get a hold of them?

jlaurson

Quote from: milk on October 05, 2013, 04:51:15 AM
No! My download didn't include them!!! Is there any way I can get a hold of them?

Hmm... PM awaits you.

Mirror Image

I can honestly say that I've finally connected with Weinberg. It took me some time to do so however. Some breakthrough works were Symphony No. 5, Piano Quintet (Ray you were right --- this is a stunner), Symphony No. 6, Cello Concerto, Clarinet Concerto, and Symphony No. 17 "Memory".

I do want to give a few observations, and please indulge me here as I'm still a 'newbie' to Weinberg, but one thing that attracts me to this music is it's inherit darkness and it's, in many cases, almost inward turbulence, especially in the quieter moments in the music. There's so much hostility in the music and, at the same time, it's as if I'm reading the man's personal diary. I'm thankful I gave his music another chance to grow on me and I look forward to listening to more of his music.

(Currently looking at more Weinberg recordings --- surprise, surprise!) :)

Brahmsian

Quote from: Mirror Image on October 21, 2013, 05:46:06 PM
I can honestly say that I've finally connected with Weinberg. It took me some time to do so however. Some breakthrough works were Symphony No. 5, Piano Quintet (Ray you were right --- this is a stunner), Symphony No. 6, Cello Concerto, Clarinet Concerto, and Symphony No. 17 "Memory".

I do want to give a few observations, and please indulge me here as I'm still a 'newbie' to Weinberg, but one thing that attracts me to this music is it's inherit darkness and it's, in many cases, almost inward turbulence, especially in the quieter moments in the music. There's so much hostility in the music and, at the same time, it's as if I'm reading the man's personal diary. I'm thankful I gave his music another chance to grow on me and I look forward to listening to more of his music.

(Currently looking at more Weinberg recordings --- surprise, surprise!) :)

Excellent, John!  Definitely a composer, along with Schnittke, that I look forward to exploring more of in 2014!!   :)

Mirror Image

Quote from: ChamberNut on October 21, 2013, 06:03:16 PM
Excellent, John!  Definitely a composer, along with Schnittke, that I look forward to exploring more of in 2014!!   :)

Yes! I look forward to your comments about both composers in 2014. So many gems await your discovery.

kyjo

Quote from: Mirror Image on October 21, 2013, 06:05:29 PM
So many gems await your discovery.

Indeed! Now that I've got your attention, Ray, have you ever heard of a fellow by the name of Kurt Atterberg? ;D




kyjo

Quote from: Mirror Image on October 21, 2013, 05:46:06 PM
I can honestly say that I've finally connected with Weinberg. It took me some time to do so however. Some breakthrough works were Symphony No. 5, Piano Quintet (Ray you were right --- this is a stunner), Symphony No. 6, Cello Concerto, Clarinet Concerto, and Symphony No. 17 "Memory".

I do want to give a few observations, and please indulge me here as I'm still a 'newbie' to Weinberg, but one thing that attracts me to this music is it's inherit darkness and it's, in many cases, almost inward turbulence, especially in the quieter moments in the music. There's so much hostility in the music and, at the same time, it's as if I'm reading the man's personal diary. I'm thankful I gave his music another chance to grow on me and I look forward to listening to more of his music.

(Currently looking at more Weinberg recordings --- surprise, surprise!) :)

Good to hear, John! I didn't instantly warm to Weinberg's music on first hearing (though I didn't dislike it), but I've gained appreciation for it over time. His sound-world is indeed very dark, sometimes darker than Shostakovich's in places. A "Russian Pettersson" he is not but he's no Lev Knipper either! ;D

P.S. Apologies for the obscure Knipper reference-he composed one of the most embarrassingly trite pieces of music ever composed-his pot-boiling Symphony no. 4, which can actually be fun if you're in the right mood! It's on YT if you feel strong enough to endure it! :D

Mirror Image

#154
Quote from: kyjo on October 21, 2013, 06:17:44 PM
Good to hear, John! I didn't instantly warm to Weinberg's music on first hearing (though I didn't dislike it), but I've gained appreciation for it over time. His sound-world is indeed very dark, sometimes darker than Shostakovich's in places. A "Russian Pettersson" he is not but he's no Lev Knipper either! ;D

Well, I have more than an appreciation for Weinberg now. I love those works I mentioned above. Looking forward to loving more of his music. My collection of Weinberg was a already a decent size prior to buying those Neos, RCA, and CPO recordings, but I would love those Olympia recordings to be reissued. I would definitely buy them all!

BTW, and this is for everyone, what do you guys think of this performance of Weinberg's PQ? Has anyone heard it?

[asin]B004KDO2U2[/asin]

jlaurson

Quote from: Mirror Image on October 21, 2013, 06:31:07 PM
Well, I have more than an appreciation for Weinberg now. I love those works I mentioned above. Looking forward to loving more of his music. My collection of Weinberg was a already a decent size prior to buying those Neos, RCA, and CPO recordings, but I would love those Olympia recordings to be reissued. I would definitely buy them all!

BTW, and this is for everyone, what do you guys think of this performance of Weinberg's PQ? Has anyone heard it?



One of the better performances of the Quintet! One of the best modern. You ought to have the Melodiya / Borodin / Weinberg, too, though.

milk

Quote from: Mirror Image on October 21, 2013, 06:31:07 PM
Well, I have more than an appreciation for Weinberg now. I love those works I mentioned above. Looking forward to loving more of his music. My collection of Weinberg was a already a decent size prior to buying those Neos, RCA, and CPO recordings, but I would love those Olympia recordings to be reissued. I would definitely buy them all!

BTW, and this is for everyone, what do you guys think of this performance of Weinberg's PQ? Has anyone heard it?

[asin]B004KDO2U2[/asin]
I'm enjoying this one also.

Karl Henning

Quote from: kyjo on October 21, 2013, 06:12:51 PM
. . . have you ever heard of a fellow by the name of Kurt Atterberg? ;D

Notably, from people who have no appreciation for R. Strauss 8)
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Karl Henning

Quote from: jlaurson on October 22, 2013, 01:40:44 AM
One of the better performances of the Quintet! One of the best modern. You ought to have the Melodiya / Borodin / Weinberg, too, though.

I (but not my wallet) thank you, Jens. . . .
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Mirror Image

#159
Quote from: jlaurson on October 22, 2013, 01:40:44 AM
One of the better performances of the Quintet! One of the best modern. You ought to have the Melodiya / Borodin / Weinberg, too, though.

Thanks, Jens. I'll investigate the Borodin as well. BTW, have you heard the Arc Ensemble performance on RCA? What do you think of this one?