Mieczyslaw WEINBERG (1919-1996)
Symphony No. 6 for boys’ choir and orchestra, Op. 79 (1962-63) [44:11]
Sinfonietta No. 1 in D minor, Op. 41 (1948) [22:47]
Vienna Boys
Choir, Vienna Symphony Orchestra/Vladimir Fedoseyev (No. 6); Symphony Orchestra
Vorarlberg/Gérard Korsten
rec. live, Festival Theatre, Bregenz, Austria, 1 August 2010 (symphony); 15
August 2010 (Sinfonietta)
No sung texts provided
Weinberg Edition - Volume 1
NEOS 11125 [66:59]
It is good to see the music of Mieczyslaw Weinberg getting attention in both
the concert hall and the recording studio. The Bregenz Festival 2010 took
the form of a ‘Weinberg Retrospective’ and gave the stage première of Weinberg’s
Holocaust opera The Passenger directed by David Pountney; the festival’s
music director. Also given at Bregenz was the Western première of Weinberg’s
Gogol opera The Portrait (1980) directed by John Fulljames. As the
festival’s featured composer a number of other Weinberg scores were performed
including these two orchestral works. It is good to see that Weinberg is now
being considered as more than a mere footnote in a Shostakovich biography.
I noted that Pountney described Weinberg as the “third man” alongside
the two great compositional geniuses of the Soviet Union: Prokofiev and Shostakovich.
I first came across Weinberg’s fascinating and accessible music in early 2011
when I was sent a review copy of his Piano Trio, Op.24 (1945). I recall
in the booklet notes for the Con
brio label that music writer David Berg described Weinberg’s score as
a “wartime masterpiece”. A highly productive composer Weinberg wrote
in most genres including twenty-two symphonies; seven operas; seventeen string
quartets; numerous concertante scores; a large number of film scores and other
works.
Whilst not making any outlandish claims for Weinberg’s greatness I asked myself
why this splendid music was not better known. In the process of doing some
research I realised that he is significantly hindered by his mixed classification
in the record catalogues and music books. In various reference sources I have
seen numerous different spellings of his name. He is mainly referred to as
Mieczyslaw Weinberg and also named Moishe Weinberg or Mieczyslaw Wajnberg,
Mieczyslaw Vainberg, Moishei Vainberg or Moisey Vaynberg. In addition I have
seen Weinberg described as a ‘Soviet composer’ and also a ‘Polish composer’;
sometimes ‘Polish/Russian composer’ a ‘Jewish/Polish’ and a Russian/Jewish
composer. A regular reference source of mine A Guide to 20th Century Composers
by Mark Morris (Methuen, 1996) classifies Weinberg as Moishei Vainberg
a composer from the Russian Republic and the former Soviet Union. In
view of this confusion it is no wonder that the music of Mieczyslaw Weinberg
has found it difficult to gain a foothold in the repertoire.
Weinberg’s immediate family as Polish Jews perished during the Nazi Holocaust
in a Warsaw ghetto. Precariously having to keep one step ahead of his oppressors
Weinberg constantly had to uproot. When the Nazi’s invaded Poland in 1939
he fled to the Soviet Union; having originally wanted to settle in America.
In 1943 at the behest of his friend Shostakovich he ended up in Moscow. Exile
was both a curse and a blessing for Weinberg. On the one hand, as a Polish
Jew, it saved him from being murdered by the Germans, but on the other hand
it drove him into Stalin’s regime. In fact, Weinberg’s father-in-law became
a victim of the Stalin dictatorship in 1948. Because he was Jewish Weinberg
was himself arrested in 1953 and imprisoned but released after Stalin’s death
becoming successfully ‘rehabilitated’ within the doctrine of the Soviet political
system.
Composed in 1962-63 the Symphony No. 6, is here conducted by
Vladimir Fedoseyev. From 1997 to 2004 Fedoseyev was principal conductor of
the orchestra. Cast in five movements the score commences with an Adagio
sostenuto. A doleful horn sets the yearning nostalgic tone. There is an
uneasy tension that features the violins playing a simple theme, of an almost
child-like quality, which is first heard at 0:43 and repeated relentlessly
throughout. Developing to a near fever pitch the music easily evokes a picture
of terrifying events. A much calmer section appears yet tension is never far
away. Noticeable is an eerie flute solo followed the horn caught in a bewildering
mood over low dark strings. Fedoseyev creates a threatening quality with the
percussion-fuelled orchestral sound at 10:10 sending out shock waves. Finally
the menace in the music is allowed to decay almost to nothing. Marked Allegretto
the second movement uses a text to Lev Kvitko’s poem The Little Fiddle
commencing with the words ‘I’ve broken a little box’. Jewish writer
Lev Kvitko was shot by the Soviet secret police in 1952 during the Stalinist
‘purges’. The writing reveals a buoyant mood with an underlying sense of dark
foreboding. A plaintive solo violin adds to the tension. The movement ends
with a martial trumpet over drum-rolls, like a sinister reveille, before Fedoseyev
directs the wonderful final orchestral outburst. In the instrumental only
central movement - a boisterous Allegro molto - music of an almost
barbaric folkish quality makes a significant impact with Fedoseyev propelling
the music strongly forward. Powerful brass and percussion are highly prominent
as is the strong influence of Jewish music. At times the sound-world of Shostakovich
was also noticeable. The fourth movement Largo continues with even
more shattering and strident writing before the choir enters singing the moving
poem titled ‘A ditch is dug in red clay’ by Shmuel Halkin (Samuil Galkin)
a text that concerns the mass murder of Kiev’s Jews by the Nazis. A Jewish
poet, Halkin spent many years exiled in Siberia and imprisoned by the Soviet
authorities. Providing welcome relief from the tension the movement closes
on a peaceful note as if all the energy has been expelled. In the finale (Andantino)
Weinberg uses a verse titled Sleep People by Soviet author Mikhail
Lukonin that would have been highly amenable to the Soviet regime ‘Sleep
peacefully, oh, people’. Here the dream of a new dawn breaks as Weinberg
evokes a brighter more optimistic world where there is less tension and anger;
without having to keep looking over the shoulder any more. In fact the final
verse of Lukonin’s text speaks of a near perfect Communist world “Rest
people. The sun will rise and violins will sing of peace on earth.” From
6:22-8:24 the solo violin sounds less forlorn, resilience becoming dominant.
The Vienna horns playing over dark strings briefly recall the music of Shostakovich.
Completed in 1948 the four movement Sinfonietta No. 1 in D minor, Op.
41 was premièred the same year by the Kiev Philharmonic Orchestra conducted
by Nathan Rakhlin. On this Neos disc the Symphony Orchestra Vorarlberg from
Western Austria are conducted by their principal conductor Gérard Korsten.
Somewhat militaristic and often bombastic in character the opening Allegro
risoluto is suffused with Slavic folk rhythms to which is added a touch
of Middle Eastern seasoning. Commencing with a significant horn solo over
an underlay of gentle strings the Lento has many attractive qualities.
I can detect a hint of Jewish Klezmer. Right from the opening measures
the sound of the Klezmer is even more evident in the brief Allegretto.
Light, bright and lithe the final Vivace is so convincingly played
by the Vorarlberg players and is taken by Korsten at near breakneck speed.
With repetitive rhythms the writing evokes a wild and frenzied folk dance.
The final pages offer a strong sense of drama with the now familiar militaristic
quality.
There’s a degree of audience noise in both recordings but I didn’t find it
too off-putting. Otherwise things are clear and well balanced. Including a
short foreword by the Bregenz Festival’s artistic director David Pountney
the booklet notes are reasonably informative. No music texts for the Symphony
No.6 are included with the Neos release which is a disappointing situation
and sadly one all too common these days. I have seen an English translation
of the poignant texts on a vinyl Melodiya release and undoubtedly Weinberg
took the utmost care in choosing appropriate verses to set. Yet here the listener
is not permitted to understand the meaning of what is being expressed. As
it is too late for inclusion in the booklet it would be good if the record
label could make these highly evocative texts with translations available
on their website.
The thrill of the live performance adds to the attraction of these splendidly
played and decently recorded scores. This Neos release is an ideal starting
place for anyone wanting to explore Weinberg’s music.
Michael Cookson
An ideal starting place for anyone wanting to explore Weinberg’s music.
Reviews of other releases in this series