Mieczyslaw Weinberg

[eschiss1]

just seen on MDT as coming very soon on Chandos - the premiere recording of Weinberg's symphony no.3 in B minor, op.45 (1949/1959) (Svedlund, conducting - I assume by now that Chmura did not work out).  It's been something like 15 years? since I borrowed the score, and I've never heard it (and only seen the score those few days anyway, but it did look interesting. I look forward to hearing it...) (also, suite no.4 from the Golden Key is advertised. Still haven't heard any of this ballet.)

[petershott@btinternet.com]

I share with Eric his interest in Weinberg. Just a few years ago we had only a few Olympia discs of his work (and the odd Russian import). They provided just a glimpse of its range and were sometimes of a fairly screeching quality.

Chandos, with the symphonies, and CPO, with the string quartets, have changed all that. I'm deeply grateful for both series. However there is, of course, some way to go yet! After the imminent Symphony 3, I'm keeping fingers tightly crossed that Chandos will give us Symphonies 6 (with chorus), 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 ('In memory of Shostakovich'), 13, 17, 18 (again with chorus), and 19. For some of these there are alternative recordings - but they're not a patch on what Chandos might eventually provide. There is also quite a clutch of chamber symphonies, sinfoniettas, symphonic poems et al - some of which have been included in the Chandos series.

Similar story with the marvellous series of string quartets. Fingers again tightly crossed that the Quatuor Danel (a wonderful quartet!) on CPO will give us 2, 3, 10, 12 and 17. (Two more CDs, making up 6 in the series?)

Good to see that other labels have begun to wake up to Weinberg. I've recommended it before on some past thread, but special place in any Weinberg collection should be given to ARC Ensemble's recording on RCA of the fairly early Op 18 Piano Quintet (it is included in a Weinberg disc called 'On the Threshold of Hope') - a real stunner of a CD (as indeed are any of this group's imaginative CDs on RCA).

Keep meaning to find out, but sheer laziness has so far prevented it. I would guess (but of what possible worth is a mere guess!) that Weinberg ought to have some interesting music for keyboard. Anyone know whether this is in fact the case? I haven't been aware of any CDs of piano music - and perhaps there just isn't any? Hope that isn't the case!

[alberto]

There is a new CPO (777 517-2) Sonata n.1; Children's notebook
I think it should have existed (still available somewhere?) one or more Cd's of piano music on Olympia.
As for myself, I have got seven CD of Weinberg (Olympia, Russian Disc, Alto) plus some shared with other composers. Even if I quite appreciate the Symphonies n.6, 10 and 12, the Violin Concerto, the Piano Quintet op.18 and, on a lighter ground, the ballet the Golden Key (Olympia OCD 473 contains the first three suites and three exceprtsn from the fourth), I have been a little discouraged in going on the discovery by the amount of his output in various media.(I understand that quite recently has been released also a DVD of a stage work).