Mieczyslaw Weinberg: Sonata No. 2 for solo violin, Op. 95 (1967) Alexander Brusilovsky, violin From a Melodiya stereo LP, 33C 10-07269-70(a), released in 1977. The recording engineer was V. Ivanov, and the editor was I. Chumakova. Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919-1996) was one of the most important Soviet composers of the post-Shostakovich generation, whose works are only now being discovered by listeners in the West. An interesting aspect of his composing career is that he wrote twelve sonatas for unaccompanied stringed instruments - three for violin, four for viola, four for cello, and even one for double bass (this last, a tour de force which can be seen and heard elsewhere on Youtube). The present Second Sonata for violin is the only one of these works not currently available on CD, which is why I have chosen it for my first foray into producing a video with a scrolling score, a practice inspired by the Youtube channel of "fyrexianoff" who has given us many works by obscure composers (mostly for piano) in this fashion. The score was published in 1973 by "Soviet Composer" and edited by Mikhail Fichtenholz, to whom the work is dedicated. Weinberg's Sonata No. 2 for solo violin is in seven movements: 1. Monody: Allegro moderato 2. Pauses: Andantino grazioso (at 1:29) 3. Intervals: Presto agitato (at 2:44) 4. Remarks: Andantino non tanto (at 4:00) 5. Accompaniment: Allegretto leggiero (at 5:47) 6. Invocation: Lento affettuoso (at 8:00) 7. Syncopes: Vivace marcato (at 10:41) The following words about the Weinberg Sonata are extracted from the program notes for the Melodiya LP, by V. Barankin: "The seven-movement Sonata No. 2 for unaccompanied violin, op. 95, goes back to the traditions of the old sonata-partita, founded upon the suite sequence of movements. But unlike the old models, that consisted of a number of standardized movements, each in the character of a dance, Weinberg shows a propensity for highly characteristic movements with programmatic titles, which are contrary in tempo and type of motion. The stern yet simple 'Monody', the effective timbre and metro-rhythmic findings in the 'Remarks', the latent and, at the same time, embossed polyphonic texture of the 'Intervals' and the 'Accompaniment', the dynamic contrasts and graciousness of the 'Pauses' and, finally, the highly dramatic 'Invocation', which is the culmination of the work, fill this Sonata with unusual content. The composer's excellent knowledge of contemporary devices of violin playing and his adroit use of them in this opus should also be mentioned."

• published: 07 Sep 2013
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