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CHAN 10237 Front.qxd 22/7/08 2:10 pm Page 1 CHAN 10237 CHANDOS CHAN 10237 BOOK.qxd 22/7/08 2:13 pm Page 2 Mieczysl⁄aw Weinberg (1919–1996) Symphony No. 4, Op. 61 (1957, revised 1961) 30:12 in A minor • in a-Moll • en la mineur 1 I Allegro 8:24 2 II Allegretto 6:03 3 III Adagio – Andantino 8:42 4 IV Vivace 6:52 5 Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes, Op. 47 No. 1 (1949) 11:55 Adagio – Moderato quasi allegretto – Adagio – Moderato quasi allegretto – Allegro molto – Doppio più lento – Doppio movimento – Presto Sinfonietta No. 2, Op. 74 (1960) 17:32 in A minor • in a-Moll • en la mineur 6 I Allegro 3:50 Reproduced with kind permission Rakhalskaya from Olga 7 II Allegretto 4:33 8 III Adagio – 4:09 9 IV Andantino 5:00 TT 59:56 Mieczysl/aw Weinberg at his home, National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, 1980s Katowice Gabriel Chmura 3 CHAN 10237 BOOK.qxd 22/7/08 2:13 pm Page 4 artists, from David Oistrakh to Emil Gilels, from several occasions these scores won the Stalin Weinberg: Symphony No. 4/Sinfonietta No. 2/Moldavian Rhapsody Rudolf Barshai to Mstislav Rostropovich. Aram Prize (!) without the true composer’s name Khachaturian once stated that Shostakovich appearing4. Weinberg composed his Fourth was fond of few composers, but had liked four Symphony in 1957, but prepared a second The family history of Mieczysl/aw Weinberg1 evacuated from cities threatened by the Soviet colleagues: Nina Makarova, Tikhon version before the first performance. At the during the first part of the twentieth century advancing German armies, among them the Khrennikov, Boris Chaikovsky and Weinberg2. Third All Union Congress of Soviet Composers could serve as a scenario for a horror film. His famous leader of the Moscow Jewish Theatre, This shows in what esteem Weinberg was in Moscow in March 1962, five months after parents originated from Moldavia, where some Solomon Mikhoels, whose daughter he held. He and Shostakovich made a habit of the first performance, this work was presented members of the family were murdered during married. In 1943 Shostakovich, impressed by showing each other every new score, and the to those assembled as one of the few positive the infamous Kishinyov pogrom in 1903. They the score of Weinberg’s First Symphony, only known example of Shostakovich’s ever recent examples in the genre, and eventually moved to Warsaw, where obtained permission for him to move to making changes in a finished score on a Shostakovich was very pleased with it. Mieczysl/aw was born on 8 December 1919. Moscow. He was to remain there until his suggestion from a fellow composer is an In the original version the four movements His father worked as a musician at a Jewish death on 26 February 1996. instance involving Weinberg3. of the symphony had individual titles. These theatre, and it was there that he, too, had his During the post-war period, anti-Semitism Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 61 by were subsequently removed, but for the sake first musical experiences. Later he studied increased dramatically in the USSR. On the Weinberg was first performed on 16 October of interest they will be mentioned here. The piano with Józef Turczy´nski (1884–1953) at night of 12 January 1948 Mikhoels was 1961 at the Great Hall of the Moscow first movement is a ‘Toccata’ in sonata form, the Warsaw Conservatory, and the illustrious murdered by the secret police, and soon Conservatory, the Symphony Orchestra of the with an energetic main theme, the writing for Józef Hofmann (1876–1957) predicted for numerous Jewish representatives of the Moscow Philharmonic Society playing under the strings highly intensive rhythmically, him a future as an international virtuoso. Upon intelligentsia were arrested, many of them later Kirill Kondrashin. It was dedicated to a followed by a mercurial second theme. The the German invasion of Poland in 1939, shot. For various reasons Jewish composers composer colleague from his own generation, slightly sad ‘Serenata’ begins with a gentle however, he fled to the Soviet Union. His were largely spared, but in 1953 Weinberg was Revol Bunin (1924–1976), who is almost clarinet theme in irregular waltz rhythm, parents and sister remained in Poland where arrested on the rather absurd charge of having unknown in the West despite impressive works contrasted by a fanfare-like second theme in they were murdered by the Nazis. Weinberg taken part in the preparations for establishing in large formats, for example nine symphonies. the trumpet and flutes. The third movement, studied composition in Minsk with Vasily a Jewish republic in the Crimea. This poor man, an ardent adversary of the ‘Intermezzo’, is of similar beauty; built like an Zolotaryov (1872–1964), himself a former Given the amount of tragedy in his life, it is Communist régime, suffered all his life not arch, it begins with a horn solo, rises to a student of Balakirev’s and Rimsky-Korsakov’s a wonder that Weinberg had the spiritual only from bad health but also from his first passionate climax, then gradually subsides. An in St Petersburg. The morning after his strength to become as prolific a composer as name: with Bolshevik enthusiasm his parents abundance of dance rhythms dominates the diploma concert on 21 June 1941, Germany he did: seven operas, twenty-six symphonies had named him after the REVOLution. Bunin finale, a ‘Rondo’, shaped as two-part invaded the USSR and he was forced to flee (including four chamber symphonies), became a persona non grata when the variations in a variety of modes, including the once more, this time to Tashkent. There he seventeen string quartets and a long leadership took measures to ‘tame’ Soviet Lydian, Mixolydian and Phrygian besides the worked at the opera house and met many catalogue of other works. The majority of his composers in 1948. He was forced to make familiar major and minor modes. A number of important cultural figures who had been output was performed by the very best Soviet his living by writing scores for colleagues. On melodies are quoted, among them a Polish 4 5 CHAN 10237 BOOK.qxd 22/7/08 2:13 pm Page 6 mazurka and the Russian dance song by Weinberg’s favourite poet, Julian Tuwim). the Composers’ Union with obvious haste. The The composer Andrey Shtogarenko added: ‘Perepyoloshka’ (The Little Female Quail), in an The musical material was not changed in any Rhapsody’s title may be regarded as a kind of This undoubtedly talented composer has not ecstatic chase that leads to a fulminant way, except that it was transposed up a minor camouflage, for the thematic material, while it approached the task of unveiling the Moldavian conclusion. third, and a coda was added. The cycle’s title has roots in Moldavia, springs from the culture folklore with any particular profundity… One gets There are certain reminiscences of the derives from this particular song – of the Jewish portion of the country’s the feeling that Weinberg has acquainted himself music of Bartók in the last movement of the ‘Remembrance’ – which begins: population. Weinberg probably, and correctly, with Moldavian music through song collections, Fourth Symphony, and such are also to be There it was at the white road, assumed that the Party officials were not not by studying the living artistic practice of the found in Sinfonietta No. 2 in A minor, My bright, white house. sufficiently educated to notice this. In those people.6 Op. 74, composed in 1960, especially in the I feel sad, it is so melancholic to dream days national diversity of musical languages And others joined in. rhythmically lively first movement. This work My sad thoughts about it. was promoted by the Soviet leadership, the After reading these comments one wonders differs considerably from the First Sinfonietta It would indeed seem that this movement, like members of which had discovered that it whether the Moldavian Rhapsody actually (1948; CHAN 10128), which is scored for full numerous others in Weinberg’s works, is a made a nice piece of propaganda. On the does have shortcomings, or whether the symphony orchestra, whereas the ensemble in yearning retrospect at times past. The whole basis of ‘ideological’ writings by Lenin and criticisms are examples of the general this case is limited to the chamber size of a work accumulates emotional density, Stalin, however, Jews were not considered to ideological nonsense spoken so frequently string orchestra and (in the first and fourth from the dramaticism in the first movement possess a nationality of their own and were during Stalin’s years. Careful listening reveals movements) timpani. Rudolf Barshai, always [Allegro], over the lyrical interlude of the second accordingly not supposed to indulge in that the latter comes closest to the truth. eager to perform new music with his Moscow movement [Allegretto], to the stern reflection of ‘bourgeois nationalism’, hence the necessity There were indeed also genuinely positive Chamber Orchestra, had been waiting for the the third movement [Adagio] and the dreamy, that Weinberg would have felt to conceal the voices, for example that of Dmitry Kabalevsky score, and the premiere took place on ‘lonely’ lyricism of the finale [Andantino].5 true character of his new work. who was reported to have defended 19 November 1960 at the Great Hall of the By 1949, the post-war repression of Jewish It was first performed under the direction of Weinberg: Moscow Conservatory. It is remarkable that the persons and organisations in the USSR was Aleksandr Gauk on 30 November 1949 during [He] maintained that the Rhapsody contains vivid Sinfonietta was premiered eleven months accelerating at a terrifying speed.

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