Works: Solo Violin Sonata no.3 Op.126 (1979), String Trio Op.48 (1950), Sonatina for violin and piano Op.46 (1949), Concertino for violin and string orchestra Op.42 (1948), Symphony no.10 for string orchestra Op.98 (1968)
Performers: Gidon Kremer (violin and conductor), Daniil Grishin (viola), Giedrė Dirvanauskaitė (cello), Daniil Trifonov (piano), Kremerata Baltica
Label: ECM
Background and Critical Reception
Yet that is a relatively small point alongside his upbringing – for to say the composer and his family led a troubled existence would be a huge understatement. As the Second World War began, Weinberg, who had studied at the Conservatory in Warsaw, fled from Poland to the Soviet Union. Tragically his family, who remained behind, were condemned to the concentration camp at Trawniki.
As the only surviving member of the family, Weinberg settled in Minsk, and then Tashkent, where he befriended Dmitri Shostakovich – whose friendship was to become a lasting one. Like Shostakovich, Weinberg was under Stalin's directive aimed at all Soviet composers, whereby they were forced to write music that pleased the ruling dictator. Yet while Shostakovich and Prokofiev were under close scrutiny, Weinberg was not subjected to such close examination after Stalin died – but the guidelines did of course continue to affect his musical flexibility. While he lived in Russia for the rest of his life, the vast majority of his music was unheard until very recently.
When the vastness of his output is revealed it is remarkable to think it was kept from public view, particularly the striking and powerful opera The Passenger, one of seven stage works that has only recently come to light in the UK in a production by David Pountney and English National Opera in 2006.
The music on this new ECM disc provides an introduction to a number of different disciplines in which Weinberg excelled. The Symphony no.10, for string orchestra, is one of twenty-two. The Solo Violin Sonata no.3 is one of many works he wrote for his first instrument, while the Sonatina for violin and piano - part of a substantial canon of chamber works centred on the 1940s – is followed closely by the String Trio of 1950. The Concertino for violin and string orchestra also dates from the late 1940s.
In a valuable booklet note for the ECM release appraised here, Wolfgang Sander warns that 'caution is advised when applying labels such as conservative, neo-classical, folklike or conformist to music that allegedly toed the official party line of life-affirming folklorism'. This is a timely reminder that Weinberg and his contemporaries, particularly Shostakovich, frequently worked double meaning into their musical statements. What they really wanted to say could be found beneath the surface of the music.
Thoughts
Kremer approaches this music having already made recordings of Weinberg's contemporaries – Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Schnittke in particular – and his affinity with the composer is clear and immediate.
Weinberg was a violinist, so knew the instrument well – and Kremer instinctively grasps the phrases and figurations of the Solo Violin Sonata no.3. Kremer has a lofty valuation of this piece, though I'm not sure I would agree with his observation that it is as great as Bartók's peerless work in the form. It does however carry a powerful impact, particularly in a performance such as this. The repeated notes of the opening are agitated, as if trying to break out of confines imposed on the instrument, but the slower melody at around six minutes in is tender and reflective. Kremer himself suggests a program behind the work, one that speaks of the composer's parents, and what he says certainly tallies with the music. He is the best possible performer for this work, putting his heart and soul into it, particularly the closing pages, which are plaintive and introverted, lost in thought.
The Sonatina for violin and piano is by definition a slighter piece, and coming on the heels of the solo work it is a musical thirst quencher to hear the sound of the piano added to the violin. This work is noticeably warmer than its solo counterpart, especially in the dreamy second theme of the first movement. The relative simplicity of its language is a little disconcerting, however, and perhaps its composer is aware of this too, for the second movement is more abrasive and piercing, before the violin soars towards the end of the third. Though not as emotionally charged as the solo work, it offers a nice complement – and ends with a rather exotic harmony that certainly does not sound Russian.
The String Trio is an uncompromising piece with quite a bruising first movement, sharp in timbre and unremitting in its musical phrases. It is quite rustic at times, but there is a good deal of strong feeling here, some of it painful, though it resolves calmly. The Concertino for violin and string orchestra has a similar countenance to the Sonatina - a little more tonally direct than some of his music, but with the violin part beautifully written. Gidon Kremer brings to it an intensely lyrical tone that works beautifully.
Saving the best for last, the Symphony no.10 is a remarkable piece that manages to incorporate experimental workings with genuine expression, for Weinberg appears to have found a formula that allows him to compose in a 'serial' manner but not at the expense of melody or emotional insight. The second movement brings this into a dreamy realisation that recalls the music of Berg but is also strangely elusive, cold and distant.
By contrast the sweeping statements of the outer movements carry a majestic power that spills over into a rush of energy from each the solo strings, their combined force truly a power to be reckoned with in this performance from Kremerata Baltica. There are profound solo outbursts, too – none more penetrating than the viola at the emotional heart of the third movement, a diatribe of raw feeling that brings all the strings together, uniting in a single chord. This is music every bit as intimate and powerful as a Shostakovich string quartet.
Verdict
The parallels with Shostakovich are inevitable and flattering, but Weinberg's music is a lot more than mere parody or imitation of his friend.
Each of the works here show off his musical flexibility, and also reveal the direct and piercing emotional insights that can be found when listening to his music. That someone should suffer so greatly yet produce music of this quality is uplifting indeed, and great credit should go to Kremer and ECM for their thorough understanding of these corners of a vast musical output.
Let's hope a lot more of it is made available in the coming years!
Further listening
There is not a great deal of Weinberg on Spotify, but this playlist offers the Violin Concerto and the Trumpet Concerto, bookending works for cello and chamber orchestra.
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