Weinberg - Symphony No.5; Sinfonietta No.1

Mieczyslaw Weinberg 

Symphony No.5

Sinfonietta No.1

Gabriel Chmura (Conductor), 

National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra of Katowice

Chandos are sensible to issue Weinberg's (or Vainberg's) 5th Symphony at the start of their new series featuring the music of this fine Polish composer. It is easily the finest of his symphonies (or to be honest of the 10 or so that I have heard). It is a searching, visionary work containing echoes of the Symphony 4 by Vainberg's friend Shostakovich, (it is contemporaneous with the first performance of Shostakovich's epic score). There are many haunting and memorable themes and the end is terribly poignant (Vainberg, a Jew, had suffered terribly in the Nazi persecution of World War Two and nearly all his family had been wiped out).

I don't think that Kondrashin's magnificent performance on Russian Disc is still around (the symphony is dedicated to Kondrashin) and this new version is obviously a much more recent recording, allowing us to hear more of the orchestral detail.

The performance is excellent and this disc is highly recommended as an introduction to the music of a fine composer.Apart from Popov's magnificent First Symphony (Olympia) this is the only soviet era symphony that I know worthy to stand alongside Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony.

Thanks to the original releaser!