RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Mieczysław WEINBERG (1919-1996)
Chamber Symphony No. 1, Op. 145 (1986) [23:28]
Chamber Symphony No. 2, Op. 147 (1987) [22:40]
Chamber Symphony No. 3, Op. 151 (1990) [33:44]
Chamber Symphony No. 4, Op. 153 (1992) [36:07]
Piano Quintet, Op. 18 (1944) (arr.for piano, string orchestra and percussion by Andrei Pushkarev and Gidon Kremer) [43:26]
Andrei Pushkarev (percussion: 2, 4, quintet)
Yulianna Avdeeva (piano: quintet)
Mate Bekavec (clarinet: 4)
Kremerata Baltica/Gidon Kremer (violin), Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla (4)
rec. live, 13 June, 2015, Musicverein, Vienna (1-3); 9-10 June 2015, Latvian Studio, Riga (Piano Quintet, 4)
ECM NEW SERIES 2538/39 (4814604) [79:45 + 79:40]
Gidon Kremer follows in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessors,
David Oistrakh, Leonid Kogan, Emil Gilels, Mstislav Rostropovich and Kirill
Kondashin, in his enthusiastic championing of the music of Mieczysław
Weinberg. Never one given to self-publicity, the composer remained in the
Soviet shadows for many years. Thankfully the balance is now being redressed.
He has undergone a major renaissance by the record companies. Naxos and Chandos
have symphony cycles in hand, Melodiya have some offerings and Toccata Classics
is in on the act. CPO have released the complete string quartets, amongst
other things, which I would heartily recommend. I’ve previously reviewed
two of their other volumes (review
review).
The four Chamber Symphonies we have here are late works, dating from the last
decade of the composer’s life. Nos. 1-3 are transcriptions of three
early string quartets, with No. 4 being an entirely new creation. The
1944 Piano Quintet makes an appearance in a recent orchestral arrangement
by Andrei Pushkarev and Gidon Kremer.
Weinberg was awarded the State Prize for his first two Chamber Symphonies,
the only time he was awarded an accolade. The First Chamber Symphony of 1986,
for string orchestra, is a modified arrangement of the Second String Quartet,
which the composer penned at the start of the Second World War. It certainly
doesn't reflect the situation the composer found himself in during
those dark days of the early 1940s. It's quite upbeat and positive,
and notable for its charm and lyricism. In four movements, the finale bears
a striking resemblance to the opening movement of Prokofiev's Classical
Symphony.
Within a short space of time, Weinberg launched into his Second Chamber Symphony,
this time turning to the Third String Quartet for material. Timpani are added
to the strings, and a solo violin is thrown into the mix, with Kremer here
doing the honours. The opening movement’s intensity derives from its
bold, assertive rhythms. However, it is the central movement which fascinates
me. To all intents and purposes it's a Mahlerian ländler, delicately
articulated by the strings, with gentle pizzicatos adding shape to the bass-lines.
The finale corresponds to the slow movement of the Third Quartet, with a newly
composed final page to round off proceedings.
The Third Chamber Symphony confines itself to strings alone, and is a re-working
of the first, third and fourth movements of the Fifth Quartet; the finale
is a new creation. There’s an undying sombre melancholy running throughout,
and it’s only the Allegro molto second movement which provides some
energetic rhythmic contrast. Its spiky and angular scoring reminds me of Shostakovich,
indulging in witty repartee. The improvisatory meanderings of the finale are
notable for the luminous string tone the Kremerata Baltica achieve.
In 1992, Weinberg wrote the Fourth Chamber Symphony, his final completed work;
the Symphony No. 22 remained unorchestrated at his death. It’s scored
for string orchestra, clarinet and, surprisingly, a triangle, the contribution
of which is confined to four notes in the finale. The work is dedicated to
his colleague Boris Tchaikovsky, ostensibly to extend the hand of reconciliation.
It’s cast in one movement, but divided into four linked sections. This
time the composer turned to his opera and songs rather than his string quartets
for source material, and there are quotes from his 1980 opera The Portrait
in the first section, and allusions to a folk tune in the fourth. An air of
melancholy and introspection pervades the score, but the more energetic second
section provides an element of contrast with its Bartók-like ostinatos. The
solo clarinet weaves a lonely lament in the elegiac third movement, beautifully
realized by Mate Bekavac.
In September 1943 Weinberg put down anchors in Moscow, where he remained for
the rest of his life. There he struck up a friendship with Shostakovich. In
1944 he composed his five-movement Piano Quintet. Emil Gilels and the Bolshoi
Theatre Quartet premiered it a year later. It’s here arranged for piano,
string orchestra and percussion. I haven't heard it in its original
form, but this reincarnation is very effective, and makes for a potent listening
experience. The opening movement is whimsical and playful. In the third movement
Presto there’s a vigorous, buoyant klezmer-like dance, played
here with a lusty exuberance. At fourteen minutes, making it the longest movement,
the Largo is dark and sombre, and makes a stark contrast to what
has gone before. The persistent opening ostinato of the fifth movement calls
to mind the finale of Bartók’s String Quartet No. 1. It moves into an
almost carefree vein. At one point, what seems like an Irish gig, clad in
eastern European garb, enters the fray. At the very end everything dies away
to total silence.
These refined and polished performances are a real discovery for me,
as none of the music I'd previously heard. The performers are entirely
convincing and are worthy advocates of these alluring scores. These live performances are
complemented by a fresh and balanced recording, and David Fanning's
discussion of the music on offer is both refreshing and informative.
Stephen Greenbank
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