Mieczysław Weinberg - Symphonies Nos. 5 & 10 (Kirill Kondrashin; Rudolf Barshai)

Information

Composer: Mieczysław Weinberg

• Symphony No. 5 in F minor, Op. 76
• Symphony No. 10 in A minor, Op. 98

Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

Kirill Kondrashin, conductor

Moscow Chamber Orchestra

Rudolf Barshai, conductor

Date: 1975; 1970 / 2014

Label: Melodiya

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Review

Weinberg is a fine composer, who lived in the shadow of his mentor Shostakovich, but Shostakovich deeply admired Weinberg’s talent.

The collection being reviewed here features Symphonies Nos. 5 and the Symphony No. 10 composed during the period of the composer’s most intensive creative activity in 1960s. The Fifth Symphony is philosophical and deep with a wealth of slow tempos. The Tenth Symphony was one of the composer’s creative peaks. The Tenth combines traditional symphonic forms with 20th-century invention.

Kirill Kondrashin and Rudolf Barshai, conducting these works on this CD, played a significant part in popularizing Weinberg’s works. Many of Weinberg’s composition were performed for the first time by the orchestras founded by the two conductors – the Symphony Orchestra of the Moscow Philharmonic Society and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. The Fifth Symphony was recorded by Kondrashin in 1975, and the Tenth one by Barshai in 1970, and this recording is drawn from those performances.

I’ve reviewed some previous works by Weinberg before, and found them musically satisfying and deeply moving. I can certainly say the same about these two symphonies.

The Fifth Symphony was written in 1962 and dedicated to Kondrashin. It’s a lovely work, with an exuberant third movement.  The Symphony No. 10 represents to many observers the peak of Weinberg’s creative output. The work was written in 1968, and premiered by Barshai, who conducts it in this recording. It’s a five-movement composition combining the concert form with 20th-century techniques like polymelodic overlapping. It’s very different in character from the Fifth, but compelling in its own right.

The recording on this 2-channel CD is quite good  Shimmering highs, and a solid bass line compliment a well thought out microphone placement that gives us a solid orchestral image. It’s not the latest in digital recording, and clearly started life on analog tape, but no matter, this is a fine presentation that captures the excellent performances of these symphonies.

Some say Weinberg is the third great Soviet composer, behind Shostakovich and Prokofiev. That may be a little strong, considering the roster of fine Soviet composers, but Weinberg was a major talent, too often overlooked.  This recording of two of his symphonies helps restore the balance. Recommended!

— Mel Martin

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Mieczysław Weinberg (8 December 1919 – 26 February 1996) was a Polish-born Soviet and Russian composer and pianist. Born in Warsaw to a family connected with Yiddish theatre, he fled Poland in 1939 following the German invasion and settled in the Soviet Union, where he gained the support of Dmitri Shostakovich. Weinberg became a prolific and respected composer, particularly during the 1960s, when his concert and film music achieved considerable recognition. His later years were marked by declining health and reduced official support. International appreciation of his music grew significantly in the 1990s.

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Kirill Kondrashin (6 March 1914 – 7 March 1981) was a Soviet and Russian conductor. Born in Moscow to a musical family, he studied conducting at the Moscow Conservatory from 1931 to 1936. He conducted at the Maly Opera Theatre in Leningrad, then the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Kondrashin was chief conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra from 1960 to 1975, in a period of notable achievement. He defected from the Soviet Union in 1978 while touring in the Netherlands, became guest conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra in the same year, and remained in that position until his death.

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Rudolf Barshai (28 September 1924 – 2 November 2010) was a Soviet and Russian violist and conductor. He studied at the Moscow Conservatory, performed with renowned musicians, and was a founding member of the Borodin Quartet. In 1955, he founded the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, leading it until his emigration in 1977. He subsequently conducted major orchestras internationally. Barshai was particularly recognized for interpreting and arranging works by Shostakovich and Prokofiev, including acclaimed arrangements of Shostakovich's string quartets and recordings that received international critical recognition.

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