Symphony No.7 in C major for Harpsichord and Strings - Mieczysław Weinberg

Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio conducted by Anna Duczmal-Mróz. Dorota Frąckowiak-Kapała as the harpsichord performer.

I - Adagio sostenuto - attacca: 0:00
II - Allegro - Adagio sostenuto - attacca: 5:58
III - Andante: 11:29
IV - Adagio sostenuto: 16:52
V- Allegro - Adagio sostenuto: 19:39

Weinberg's Seventh Symphony was completed in 1964, being dedicated to Rudolf Barshai, conductor of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra who premiered the work. In October 1967 a recording of it was made for the Melodiya label. Rudolf Barshai, a conductor of Jewish origin, like Weinberg, who emigrated to Israel in 1977, enraging the Soviet authorities. His name was erased from all record. As an anecdote, when a client asked in a Melodiya warehouse for one of his recordings, one had to say that wanted Barshai's records, those in which there was no conductor.

The work is orchestrated for haprishorch and strings. Using a harpsichord at this date conveyed a certain piquant intention, even a hint of transgression, in the Soviet Union, and the part was played at the premiere by Andrey Volkonsky, already a controversial figure as a composer with a pioneering and indomitable modernist spirit. However, the baroque concerto grosso, model that stands behind Weinberg’s work was by no means a unique choice. Examples being Vladimir Ėnke’s Concerto for Masters of the Orchestra of 1936, re-branded as Concerto-Symphony in 1966, and Gavriil Popov’s Third Symphony of 1946, respectively.

The first movement opens with a solo from the haprsichord, presenting a clear theme in C major, which recycles the piano introduction to Weinberg’s song cycle "Beyond the Threshold of Past Days" (Op.50, composed in1951). But soon dissonant notes appear, increasing tension, which is not resolved until the calm entrance of the strings, after a modulation to C minor. The previous thematic elements are taken by the strings, which are developed with profuse use of counterpoint in the form of an arch. In the final part, the harpsichord reappears in an epilogue similar to the introduction, leading to the next part.

The second movement begins with the strings presenting a elegant variation of the main theme of the previous one. The development is rhythmic and energic. Here the harpsichord occasionally doubles the second violin and viola, adding more colour and filling in the texture in a "basso continuo" fashion. The middle section is more dissonant, with the music rising in a anxious climax, becoming more of an anticlimax. Harpsichord performs a brief pointillistic solo before strings make a short reference of the main theme. The harpsichord reappears with a restatement the original theme. The strings make a pedal note that leads us to the next movement.

The third movement begins with a melancholic theme, rhythmically supported by pizzicatos. The harpsichord is in tacet (which means that doesn't play). The development is produced through small chromatic jumps and shifts, reminiscent of Mahler and specially Shostakovich. The cello takes the theme and develops it with counterpoint techniques, becoming a slow but expressive dance in the form of a waltz. Concludes with a series of pizzicatos.

The fourth movement is very short. Opens with strong chords from the strings, followed by a kind of appasionate recitative, passing from the bass strings to the high ones, coming back to the bass again. The movement goes from fortissimo to pianissimo in its final part. As with the previous movement, the harpsichord remains silent. A slow transition takes us to the final movement.

The fifth movement is the symphony’s true centre of gravity. It begins with the harpsichord playing in its higher register, like a mandolin, a gesture which the strings soon join to the main thematic substance. Different themes are presented in a disorganized way, in a chamber-like setting. The fast tempo and soft dynamics lending the music an air of ghostliness. Strong chords from the strings leads to a rhythmic motif in form of a folkloric dance in a very fast tempo.

We find a panoply of special instrumental effects: harmonics of all kinds, glissandi, col legno, and knocking with the fingers on the body of the double-bass, all of which are absorbed into a frenetic music whose mood had seemingly been suppressed in the symphony until now. Finally, the music sinks into the main key, and after a short reminiscence by the harpsichord of the main theme of the first movement, followed by a brief consoling coda, the work ends in a pure C major, with a sense of issues having been if not exactly resolved then at least meaningfully explored.

Sources: https://bit.ly/2GwhFP1 and https://bit.ly/34xWeoX Musical analysis slightly rewritten by myself.

Picture: "Self-portrait" (1910-11) by the Russian painter Kazimir Malevich.

Видео Symphony No.7 in C major for Harpsichord and Strings - Mieczysław Weinberg канала Sergio Cánovas