WEINBERG : Соncertos (Thord Svedlund) (2008) SACD / FLAC (tracks), lossless

Fantasia For Cello And Orchestra, Op.52 (18:51)
Cello – Claes Gunnarsson

Concerto No.2 For Flute And Orchestra, Op.148 (19:31)
Flute – Anders Jonhäll

Concerto No.1 For Flute And Orchestra, Op.75 (14:43)
Flute – Anders Jonhäll

Concerto For Clarinet And String Orchestra, Op.104 (25:49)
Clarinet – Urban Claesson

Concertmaster – Christer Thorvaldsson
Conductor – Thord Svedlund
Orchestra – Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

WEINBERG : Symphony No. 2 • Chamber Symphony No. 2 (Thord Svedlund) (1998) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Symphony No. 2, Op. 30 For String Orchestra (1945-46)    (32:31)
Chamber Symphony No. 2, Op. 147 For String Orchestra And Timpani (1987)    (24:09)*

Conductor – Thord Svedlund
Leader – David Björkman
Orchestra – Umeå Symphony Orchestra
Timpani – Hans Lindbäck *

WEINBERG : Cello Concerto • Symphony No. 20 (Thord Svedlund) (2012) SACD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

With the general increase in the popularity of Dmitry Shostakovich's music, that of his protégé Mieczyslaw Weinberg has also been gaining a hearing outside the former East Bloc. A Polish-born Jew, Weinberg survived two waves of Nazi invasion only to find himself buffeted by the same political forces as Shostakovich, by then his mentor, in the postwar Soviet Union. The Cello Concerto in C minor, Op. 43, dating from 1948, is parallel to Shostakovich's works of enforced conservatism from that period, but is somehow more joyful and genuinely melodic. More interesting is the Symphony No. 20, Op. 150, written in 1988 and here receiving its premiere recording. It's a roughly symmetrical five-movement work, on a large orchestral canvas, with slow movements with continuous melody on the outside, scherzo-like pieces of contrasting character second and fourth, and an extremely unusual centerpiece that seems to lose its integrity as it goes along. Weinberg in his later years seems to have tried to pursue avenues suggested by Shostakovich's very personal late works, and this piece, down to the Mahlerian feel, is in that vein. It's not Shostakovich, but it's quite absorbing, and the performances by Sweden's Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra are clean and on top of Weinberg's long lines in the outer movements of the symphony. A strong entry in the catalog of a composer on the rise. by James Manheim  

Symphony No. 20 Op. 150 (1988)    (39:37)
Concerto, Op. 43 (1948)    (31:04)*

Cello – Claes Gunnarson *
Conductor – Thord Svedlund
Leader – Per Enoksson
Orchestra – Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

WEINBERG : Chamber Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4 (Thord Svedlund) (1998) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Mieczyslaw Weinberg's oeuvre is slowly starting to make its way into the international market. This 2009 Alto disc, a repackaged remastering of a 1998 Olympia disc, pairs the Polish-Russian composer's First and Fourth chamber symphonies. The First is a four-movement work for string orchestra from 1986 and the Fourth is a work with four-movements-in-one for string orchestra and clarinet from 1992. Both receive wholly dedicated works from the Umeå Symphony Orchestra under the leadership of Thord Svedlund. The First is a lean and occasionally hard-driving work that is never less than appealing in the Soviet modernist manner. The Fourth is a much more caustic work with touches of melancholy in its themes. The Umeå musicians and Svedlund turn in performances of great dash that make persuasive cases for each piece. Though this music is not for everyone, listeners who enjoy Shostakovich's chamber symphonies will likely enjoy Weinberg's. by James Leonard

Chamber Symphony No. 1, Op. 145 For String Orchestra (1986)    (27:35)
Chamber Symphony No. 4, Op. 153 In One Movement, For String Orchestra And Clarinet (1992)    (34:20)

Cello – Kerstin Isaksson
Clarinet – Bengt Sandström
Conductor – Thord Svedlund
Leader – David Björkman
Orchestra – Umeå Symphony Orchestra

WEINBERG : Symphony No. 3 • Suite No. 4 From 'The Golden Key' (Thord Svedlund) (2011) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This release by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, not under music director Gustavo Dudamel but under the highly capable Thord Svedlund, is part of a series on the Chandos label devoted to the orchestral music of the Polish-born Soviet composer Mieczyslaw Weinberg. Weinberg was more obedient to the whims of Soviet cultural commissars than was his contemporary and friend Dmitry Shostakovich, but he nevertheless ran afoul of officialdom, probably because of the strong anti-Semitic streak of the Stalinist state. His music is expertly written and reflects many of the same currents as Shostakovich's. The Symphony No. 3 in B minor, Op. 45, was composed in 1949, right after the second denunciation of Shostakovich the previous year. Weinberg's response to such strictures was less edgy than that of his friend, but the score, packed full of folk tunes from various regions, is consistently attractive. The real find here may be the Suite No. 4 from The Golden Key, Op. 55d, a ballet with elements of the Pinocchio story. These sparkling pieces (hear the three animal dances in the middle, tracks 8-10) sound like lost Prokofiev gems, and in fact you might try them out in a blind listening test on Prokofiev enthusiasts. They'd be ideal for concerts directed at young people. Chandos continues to back the Weinberg series with excellent Super Audio sound that favors every part of the composer's vast orchestral palette. The biggest objection here may be that the entire program clocks in at under 50 minutes; other music from the ballet, at the very least, could have been included. by James Manheim

Symphony No. 3, Op. 45 In B Minor (1949-50, Revised 1959) (32:40)*
Suite No. 4 From 'The Golden Key' For Large Orchestra, Op. 55d (1954-64) (17:01)**

Conductor – Thord Svedlund
Leader – Per Enoksson *, Sara Trobäck **
Orchestra – Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra