Julia Kociuban energizes Tansman and Bacewicz concertos

Julia Kociuban delivers spectacular performances of two 20th Century piano concertos. Alexander Tansman's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Grazyna Bacewicz's Piano Concerto are, in my opinion, greatly under-appreciated. I came to that conclusion after hearing this recording.  

Alexander Tansman wrote his Piano Concerto No. 1 while living in Paris. Its neo-classical styling strongly reminded me of another composer who was there around the same time -- Bohuslav Martinu. The concerto has some distinctive syncopations and modal harmonies that I really enjoyed.

I was most familiar with Grazyna Bacewicz through her string quartets, which are aggressively avant-garde. So her 1948 Piano Concerto took me by surprise. 

It's an energic, modernist work. But it still has a clearly defined tonal center and (relatively) smooth, flowing melodies. 

Kociuban is well-known for her performances of Bacewicz' Piano Sonata No. 2. That deep understanding of this work informs her interpretation here. Kociuban is very much in control. Her enthusiastic playing adds to the excitement of the music. 

Before this recording, the piano concerto had lapsed into obscurity. This performance should bring it back into the repertoire. Artists and orchestras looking to increase the presence of women composers should start here.

 Alexander Tansman, Grazyna Bacewicz: Piano Concertos
Julia Kociuban, piano
Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra; Pawel Przytocki, conductor
DUX 1612

Raphael Wallfisch shows affinity for Weinberg Cello Concerto

At first blush, it may seem like a recording of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's music doesn't belong in the Cello Concertos by Exiled Jewish Composers series. After all, wasn't Weinberg a Soviet composer?

He was, but he very much belongs in this series. Weinberg was born in Warsaw. His family moved to Russia, and after the Revolution, it was impossible for him to return. He was effectively an exile within the Soviet Union. 

And his religion and personality made him somewhat of a political exile, too. Weinberg seemed to alternate between winning Stalin prizes and threatened with arrest.

The works in this release show a slightly different side of Weinberg. His style is often compared to that of his close friend Dimitri Shostakovich. These works, though, have a strong Jewish musical element in them. And that sound is purely Weinberg. 

This release features three works. The Cello Concertino Op.43bis served as the basis for the much larger Cello Concerto Op. 43 (both performed here). Also included is the  Fantasia, Op. 52. 

The Concerto is double the length of the Concertino -- but it's just padding. The Concertino is a modest, tightly-focused work. Weinberg's music features Jewish melodic elements prominently, IN 1948 such overtly religious overtones were dangerous, and the work remained shelved and unheard for decades. 

In expanding the work, Weinberg softened the Jewish elements. But Wallfisch's playing shows they're still there. He bends the tones in the style of a Jewish cantor, making plain the work's foundation. 

The Fantasia also uses Jewish melodic patterns, but this time set against harmonies that are both more complex and less tonal than his 1943 concerto. 

As always, Wallfisch's sympathetic performances provide insight into the scores. In this case, his decision to highlight the Jewish elements in the music provides added insight into the complex personality of Mieczyslaw Weinberg.  

Mieczyslaw Weinberg: Cello Concerto Op. 43
Fantasy, op. 42; Concertino op. 43bis
Cello Concertos by Exiled Jewish Composers
Raphael Wallfisch, cello
Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra; Lukasz Borowicz, conductor
CPO

Elisaveta Blumina reveals the essence of Mieczyslaw Weinberg

This marks the seventh recording of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's music by Elisaveta Blumina. And, in my opinion, her performances remain just as true to Weinberg's personality as they did in the first. 

The release features Weinberg's Piano Quintet, one of his most successful -- and authentic -- works. Weinberg composed the work in 1944, while Soviet authorities were paying closer attention to the war effort than the arts. (That would change very soon.) 

Weinberg, in part, emulates his friend and mentor Dmitri Shostakovich. The structure follows that of Shostakovich's own Piano Quintet. But the melodies -- and impudent harmonies -- are pure Weinberg. 

Matthias Bauer recasts the work as one for piano and strings, which greatly changes the dynamic. Instead of five players on equal footing, we have an ensemble and a solo instrument. Without changing the notes, the work becomes a piano concertino. 

It works well in this format. Especially with Blumina as soloist. Her playing is as mercurial as Weinberg's music. In her hands, the piano can sound sarcastic, sentimental, angry, restless, or playful. 

And that facility to not only change moods but give them subtle inflections is equally effective in her performances of the Children's Notebooks. Although supposedly written for children, these pieces are not for beginners! Blumina makes these miniatures sparkle with her playing. 

Another great addition to the growing catalog of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's music. 

Mieczyslaw Weinberg: Piano Quintet, Op. 18 (orchestral version by Matthais Bauer)
Children's Notebooks, Op. 16 & 19
Elisaveta Blumina, piano
Georgian Chamber Orchestra Ingolstadt; Ruben Gazarian, conductor
Capriccio CS366