Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996)

[Cato]

A new recording of the Trumpet Concerto. To be released on November 8th:



- M. Weinberg: Trumpet Concerto
- C. Schönberger: Trumpet Concerto
- S. Rachmaninoff: Vocalise
- A. Goedicke: Concert Etude, op. 49

I note the presence of the Alexander Goedicke concerto, whose works were just mentioned on the March-Madness Russian Symphony topic!

Here is the Weinberg concerto:

[Karl Henning]

What's interesting about that is that the concert works by JW that I have heard are frequently tuneless, colorless, and tedious, rather than the popular fireworks you would expect.

My experience, as well. Unlike his film work: uninspired.

[vandermolen]

The New York Philharmonic will play Weinberg's Fifth Symphony in February 2026. Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla will conduct the Tallis Fantasia and John Williams' piano concerto (with Emanuel Ax) on the same program.

Great concert!

[J]

My experience, as well. Unlike his film work: uninspired.

One of the Shostakovich PC's would be a much better fit, - or Prokofiev's.

[San Antone]

What's interesting about that is that the concert works by JW that I have heard are frequently tuneless, colorless, and tedious, rather than the popular fireworks you would expect.

A composer who was very famous during his lifetime, but whose name will probably disappear from concerts and recordings at some point after his death.  The history of music is full of these names, from every period.

IMO he has written nothing worth preserving.

[Roy Bland]

A composer who was very famous during his lifetime, but whose name will probably disappear from concerts and recordings at some point after his death.  The history of music is full of these names, from every period.

IMO he has written nothing worth preserving.

It seems unfair to me, "Black Sunday" is one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard

[J]

A composer who was very famous during his lifetime, but whose name will probably disappear from concerts and recordings at some point after his death.  The history of music is full of these names, from every period.

IMO he has written nothing worth preserving.

Other examples from the 20th century please.

[DavidW]

The New York Philharmonic will play Weinberg's Fifth Symphony in February 2026.

I wanted to highlight the part of the post that mattered. The rest of the program is immaterial. Having the NYPO perform Weinberg is hopefully a move in the right direction and not an anomaly.

[Karl Henning]

I wanted to highlight the part of the post that mattered. The rest of the program is immaterial. Having the NYPO perform Weinberg is hopefully a move in the right direction and not an anomaly.

Indeed! Is this the first Weinberg performance by a major US orchestra?

[Mapman]

Indeed! Is this the first Weinberg performance by a major US orchestra?

From the New York Philharmonic archives, it appears that they have never played any of Weinberg's orchestral works.
The BSO archives search (https://archives.bso.org/Search.aspx) shows that they performed the Violin Concerto, Op. 67 with Gidon Kremer and Juanjo Mena in January 2017.

Detroit performed  his Cello Concerto with Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Bignamini in June 2024 (https://www.dso.org/watch-listen-and-connect/newsroom-2/detroit-symphony-orchestra-announces-2023-2024-season).

I haven't checked other orchestras.

[Mapman]

From Operabase:

Baltimore did the Trumpet Concerto in 2024 (https://www.operabase.com/productions/shostakovich-symphony-no-8-250470/en)

[Brian]

From the New York Philharmonic archives, it appears that they have never played any of Weinberg's orchestral works.
The BSO archives search (https://archives.bso.org/Search.aspx) shows that they performed the Violin Concerto, Op. 67 with Gidon Kremer and Juanjo Mena in January 2017.

Detroit performed  his Cello Concerto with Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Bignamini in June 2024 (https://www.dso.org/watch-listen-and-connect/newsroom-2/detroit-symphony-orchestra-announces-2023-2024-season).

I haven't checked other orchestras.

The Cello Concerto is a major masterpiece with immense audience appeal and I hope that having such a major box office talent of the new generation support it means we'll see it much more often.

[Karl Henning]

From the New York Philharmonic archives, it appears that they have never played any of Weinberg's orchestral works.
The BSO archives search (https://archives.bso.org/Search.aspx) shows that they performed the Violin Concerto, Op. 67 with Gidon Kremer and Juanjo Mena in January 2017.

Detroit performed  his Cello Concerto with Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Bignamini in June 2024 (https://www.dso.org/watch-listen-and-connect/newsroom-2/detroit-symphony-orchestra-announces-2023-2024-season).

I haven't checked other orchestras.

Oh! To think I missed Kremer playing the Concerto here in Boston! Ouch!

[ultralinear]

Oh! To think I missed Kremer playing the Concerto here in Boston! Ouch!

If it's any consolation (probably isn't), last year I saw Kremer play the Concerto with the LPO under Andrey Boreyko, and it was OK ... but aroused mixed feelings.  On the one hand, I was glad to be hearing any performance at all of this, but on the other, I thought Kremer seemed notably frail and tentative, veering on uncertain, not helped by breaking a string partway and having to continue awhile on a borrowed instrument while his own was restrung.  It made for quite a tense experience, possibly not for the best of reasons.

There's a review here (which I don't entirely agree with. )

[Brian]

By the way, I've never heard of any of the artists, but:



Tyumen is in Siberia.