Symphony No.12 "In Memoriam of Dmitri Shostakovich" - Mieczysław Weinberg

USSR TV & Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maxim Shostakovich

I - Allegro moderato: 0:00
II - Allegretto: 19:23
III - Adagio - attacca: 26:44
IV - Allegro: 37:44

Weinberg's Symphony No.12 was composed between 1975-76. The work had to wait over three years for its first performance, given on 13 October 1979 by the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Shostakovich's son, Maxim Shostakovich, who also made the first recording. The catalyst of the symphony was the death in 9 August of 1975 of Shostakovich, with whom Weinberg had been on a close friendship since their first meeting 32 years earlier and who was the single most important influence on his evolution.

Not surprising, then, that the present work is the longest and the most wide-ranging of all his purely orchestral symphonies, though it is by no means a continuation of Shostakovich’s late idiom, for all that allusions to the older composer (not least the veiled references to his D-S-C-H monogram) are subtly and often intriguingly integrated into the musical discourse. A composition that is a real tribute to one of the great contemporary composers, made by someone who considered himself his student and follower. The style used is advanced, but without sacrificing tonality.

The first movement begins with a powerfully rhythmic theme, forcefully remarked by the timpani. wood and brass stridently emerge, then a hushed transition on woodwind leads to the second theme on the strings, sober but with a sweeter character, with ruminative woodwind gradually coming to the fore. The tension builds heading into the development, with elements of both themes seized on in aggressive exchanges between strings and brass. A crescendo sustained by the timpani presages a climactic return of the first theme, but this proves to be short-lived as the second theme takes precedence in strings and woodwind. An animated version of the first theme reappears on strings and heads towards a heated encounter fronted by brass. An extended coda sees the first theme forcefully restated, before a dialogue between wood and harp over hesitant strings and brass. The strings continue before a violent chord on brass and percussion brings a crescendo surge of almost Mahlerian anguish which is left to echo into silence.

The second movement corresponds to the scherzo. It begins with a pompous and rhythmic theme that unfolds contrapuntally across the strings, answered by horns and trumpets over a steady accompaniment from the lower brass. Strings quickly reassert themselves, then comes a bizarre episode for woodwinds, the strings once more emerging as the music becomes increasingly confrontational. The trio is entrusted to the brass, followed by the wood where the clarinet stands out. A few moments of irony in the style of Shostakovich. The caustic humor makes for strange sound combinations. The calmer final section precedes a determining coda.

The third movement begins with a melancholic theme introduced by the violins, over a slowly evolving accompaniment in lower strings, its monochrome shades gradually being tempered by the addition of woodwind. A solo from the clarinet then flute briefly assume the foreground, with the music effortfully unfolding towards an elegiac outburst from the full strings which is latterly marked by the timpani as brass climactically enter. This is suddenly curtailed to leave solo bassoon sounding plaintive over lower woodwind, before flute and upper strings wistfully open out the musical space and a further climax is reached. This briefly draws in the whole orchestra, before regretfully dying down into the depths of the lower strings. A pedal from the strings leads to the final movement.

The finale is structured as a rondo. It commences with a capricious main theme given to the marimba heard against lower strings, which presently embark on a wistful episode that continues this unexpected lightening of mood. The marimba once more emerges, its final notes hammered out as woodwind then strings engage in animated exchanges, which take on a more aggressive manner when brass join in. From here the music briefly takes a pause, before building intently towards an energetic climax that culminates in a version of the main theme, forcefully expounded by strings and timpani, brass and woodwind retorting with angular gestures.

The tension now subsides into veiled exchanges between woodwind and strings, a sense of peace coming across the music while the marimba returns as a spectral presence, before strings unfold a soulful epitaph made more eloquent by the presence of horn and flute. Harp and celesta add evocative touches, as do solo woodwind and strings, before the lower strings suddenly lurch forward as though to deny the expected resolution, leading us to the ending on a long-held D note. In the final part, the harp briefly oscillates between the notes D and E flat, in German D and Es, DS, the initials of Dimitri Shostakovich.

Source: https://bit.ly/3o9Vyir

Видео Symphony No.12 "In Memoriam of Dmitri Shostakovich" - Mieczysław Weinberg канала Sergio Cánovas