Mieczyslav Weinberg (aka Moisey Vainberg) was in fact born and raised in Poland, but the vast majority of his compositional career was in the Soviet Union and he remained there for the rest of his life, in Minsk (now the capital of independent Belarus). He therefore comes well within the definition of ’Russian’ for the purpose of this series and was certainly treated as such by the authorities. This and the preceding album (dda25105) which includes the first three sonatas, were originally released on the now defunct Olympia label but had a relativley short life and restricted distribution, and are still the only full recordings of these very fine works. This is music which though modern is written to comply with Soviet requirements and is thus also very approachable and melodic without ever being trite or unoriginal.
“Here [is volume 10] of Divine Art’s ever-enterprising Russian Piano Music Series. Murray McLachlan’s performance, here as elsewhere, is brawny, relentlessly energetic and fully committed..”
Michael Round - International Piano magazine
“Soviet piano music almost on a par with Shostakovich and Prokofiev, admirably played by this splendidly gifted pianist. Virtually flawless playing and recording” * * * * *
“[Weinberg] stands as a true innovator and original musical thinker whose music was as much an influence on Shostakovich as vice versa. This disc is another great addition to the increasing discography of this wonderful composer. His originality shines through at every turn. Murray McLachlan is a great exponent of 20th century and contemporary piano compositions. He has many first performances to his credit. This disc is further proof of his intelligent approach. It does wonderful service to the composer’s intentions. This is a disc to savour.”
Steve Arloff - MusicWeb-International.com
