Weinberg : Les œuvres pour piano, Vol. 1.

Piano International (Jul, 2012)
English National Opera’s recent production of Mieczys?av Weinberg’s opera The Passenger was part of a larger revival of interest in the music of this composer. Often linked with Shostakovich, Weinberg (sometimes spelled ‘Vainberg’) arrived in Belorussia (Minsk) after the Nazi invasion of Poland. The First Sonata dates from his time in Minsk (1940) and is a sparkling crystal of a piece.

The startlingly dissonant opening introduces a solemn and severe work (the recording does not seem entirely at home with the dynamic and registral extremes). The influence of Shostakovich is marked, particularly in the Allegretto second movement, while the ensuing Andantino (perfectly evoked by Franzetti) includes an interlude of mechanical bent …