WEINBERG : Symphony No. 5 · Sinfonietta No. 1 (Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra · Gabriel Chmura) (2003) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

 Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996)

1-4    Symphony No. 5, Op. 76    (45:32)
5-8    Sinfonietta No. 1, Op. 41    (22:08)

Conductor – Gabriel Chmura
Orchestra – National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice

WEINBERG : Symphony No. 4 • Sinfonietta No. 2 • Rhapsody On Moldovian Themes (National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice · Gabriel Chmura) (2004) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Ah, Mieczyslaw Weinberg, not Moishey Vainberg. One can understand the mistake. Mieczyslaw Weinberg was the Polish composer who emigrated to the Union of Soviet Socialistic Republics at the start of World War II. Moishey Vainberg was the Russian composer who was the close friend and artistic confidant of Dmitry Shostakovich. But Weinberg or Vainberg, the man who wrote the works recorded on this disc by Gabriel Chmura and the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra is a strong-willed and hard-edged mensch, a mensch who is surely one of the great composers of the second half of the twentieth century. Although one can hear echoes of Shostakovich in the sparseness of the scoring, the robust themes, and muscular rhythms are pure Weinberg/Vainberg. As Chmura and the NPRSO's powerful, passionate, and precise performances prove, the thing that Weinberg/Vainberg had most closely in common with Shostakovich was his ironic sense of tragedy. More than the leanness of the textures, Weinberg/Vainberg's music shares with Shostakovich the thinness and sharpness of life on the edge of the abyss. Chandos' sound is simple, honest, and true. James Leonard
 
Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996)

1-4    Symphony No. 4, Op. 61 (1957, Revisited 1961)    (30:12)
5    Rhapsody On Moldovian Themes, Op. 47 No.1 (1949)
6-9    Sinfonietta No. 2, Op. 74 (1960)    (17:32)

Conductor – Gabriel Chmura
Orchestra – National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice

WEINBERG : Symphony No. 14 • Symphony No. 16 (National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice · Gabriel Chmura) (2006) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

While Sergey Prokofiev and Dmitry Shostakovich are the two most prominent figures in music of the Soviet era, a growing consensus of opinion would put Polish-born Mieczyslaw Weinberg with them, even at the forefront of all modernist composers. Weinberg (known also as Moisey Vainberg, and sometimes given erroneous transliterations of his name, even though he preferred the Polish spelling) composed 25 symphonies of highly original character and readily apparent technical mastery. These impressive works are gradually being received with favor in the West, largely through the efforts of Gabriel Chmura and the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Their exciting recordings on Chandos are a great place to start investigating Weinberg's music, especially since the series is projected to cover all the symphonies and other significant orchestral works. The six-movement Symphony No. 16, Op. 131 (1981), which receives its world-premiere recording here, and the more traditionally structured four-movement Symphony No. 14, Op. 117, are sturdy, rugged symphonies, filled with pathos, irony, lyricism, and pugnacity, and they will instantly appeal to admirers of Shostakovich's cycle; they may also attract listeners who like the symphonies of Mahler, Prokofiev, Nielsen, or Sibelius because there are numerous points of similarity in these works that invite comparisons. The performances are accomplished and compelling, and the orchestra sounds remarkably rich in tone, even in exposed string or woodwind passages with only one or two melodic lines. But there are also powerful climaxes, where the brass and timpani project with great force and resonance. Chandos provides exceptional sound with phenomenally clear details, which makes listening to these pieces for the first time a pleasure. Highly recommended. Blair Sanderson

Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996)

1-6    Symphony No. 16, Op. 131 (1981)    (33:19)
7-10    Symphony No. 14, Op. 117 (1977)    (30:15)

Conductor – Gabriel Chmura
Orchestra – National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice