Mieczyslaw Weinberg: String Quartets Nos. 11-13

Silesian Quartet

The concert repertoire can be viewed as an ocean into which two distinct rivers flow. One carries music works inspired first and foremost by emotions. The ancient Greeks believed that music was born out of despair; the cries of Medusa in the face of imminent death inspired Athene to play moving tunes on her aulos. In most cases, it is the feeling of nostalgia, sadness, even despair that provides impulses for music composition. Wajnberg’s string quartets presented on this album clearly belong to this emotional current in music – especially the Eleventh and the Thirteenth. But ancient Greeks also told the story of Hermes finding the shell of a dried tortoise with a few tense sinews still left. When plucked, they produced sounds, which inspired the god to build a lyre. Here we come to the second river of repertoire – pieces of music born out of curiosity. This river swelled to great heights in the 20th century, when many artists sought new means of expression. Some innovative solutions can be found in Wajnberg’s two quarters from his later period, particularly in the Twelfth. Mieczyslaw Wajnberg’s imposing output of compositions includes 17 quartets, 22 symphonies, 9 concertos, 7 cantatas, more than 50 pieces of chamber music for various instrumental complements, as well as nearly 30 song cycles and 8 operas. Composing was his life’s greatest passion, virtually regardless of what was going to happen to his works after they were completed. He filled page after page with music notes nearly every day, as though music were his refuge in which to hide from the many dangers and calamities of life. This release features the String Quartets nos. 11-13 performed by one of Poland’s leading chamber ensembles, the Silesian Quartet.

Price: $11.99