Even at the turn of the century, the music of Mieczyslaw Weinberg was all but unknown outside Russia. He was regarded as a more conservative knock-off of Shostakovich, whose music his own resembles in broad outlines. Many thanks are due to Gidon Kremer, whose championing of Weinberg as both violinist and conductor has done much to define the individuality of his music. This live recording of Weinberg's Violin Concerto, Op. 67, marks a major step in Kremer's ongoing effort. The concerto was premiered by Leonid Kogan in 1960. ...
Read More
Even at the turn of the century, the music of Mieczyslaw Weinberg was all but unknown outside Russia. He was regarded as a more conservative knock-off of Shostakovich, whose music his own resembles in broad outlines. Many thanks are due to Gidon Kremer, whose championing of Weinberg as both violinist and conductor has done much to define the individuality of his music. This live recording of Weinberg's Violin Concerto, Op. 67, marks a major step in Kremer's ongoing effort. The concerto was premiered by Leonid Kogan in 1960. Kremer has performed it with a variety of major orchestras, and he rightly chooses a full orchestra, the Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig under Daniele Gatti, in preference to his smaller Kremerata Baltica. The live performance crackles with excitement as Kremer traces the unusual quasi-dramatic structure of the concerto, quite unlike anything Shostakovich ever wrote. There are really two slow movements; the second-movement Allegretto opens with a somber melody that begins a series of...
Read Less
Portions of content provided by Rovi Corporation. © 2024 Rovi Corporation.