The 'third great Soviet composer'...

[prokkyshosty]

This is a line from a review by Steve Schwartz on classical.net that seems to have been adopted by everybody trying to find something to write about the composer Mieczyslaw Weinberg. Schwartz wrote in 2004 "for me, Weinberg is the third great Soviet composer, along with Prokofieff and Shostakovich" and if you run a google search on the phrase, you'll find numerous reviews that start "Hailed as 'the third great Soviet composer, along with Prokofiev and Shostakovich'...." Gee, I wish I had that power -- the only thing I can hail is a taxi.

Anyone care to debate this one? Any Khatchaturian fans want to rattle their sabres?

[Bryn]

I just hope that the recent focus on Weinberg/Vainberg leads to a CD issue of Shostakovich's 10th Symphony in its four handed keyboard version as played by the composer and said Mieczyslaw/Moishe/Moisey. Not fond of composer ratings, but if it comes to it, I think Mieczyslaw/Moishe/Moisey Weinberg/Vainberg a rather better composer than Aram Khachaturian.

[prokkyshosty]

That four hand Shosty 10th is simply the most amazing single performance I have ever heard captured on CD.

[Bryn]

I have it on LP but not on CD. Do tell. Where does one find the CD?

[prokkyshosty]

The aptly named Revelation label -- RV70002 (1997)

or: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Symph-10-Dmi...3159419&sr=8-1

[prokkyshosty]

ps. for that performance to be out of print is a crying shame!!!

[Bryn]

Ah well! I am currently downloading the 'high quality' flvs from You Tube uploads.

[What you get from those flvs, when you extract the audio, is 'stereo' aac files averaging around 96kbps. Since the source is mono, I just hope the 'stereo' is not too data wasteful.]

[[I now find that amazon.co.uk offer an mp3 download of an album including the 10th for £7.49. Just search in "Music" for "Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10, Preludes and Film Music".]]

[amateur51]

I just hope that the recent focus on Weinberg/Vainberg leads to a CD issue of Shostakovich's 10th Symphony in its four handed keyboard version as played by the composer and said Mieczyslaw/Moishe/Moisey. Not fond of composer ratings, but if it comes to it, I think Mieczyslaw/Moishe/Moisey Weinberg/Vainberg a rather better composer than Aram Khachaturian.

I think it was released in the 1990s on the much-missed highly variable Russian Revelations series, Bryn

Apologies for crossed post, prokky

[prokkyshosty]

No problem, amateur51. Any other recommendations from the Revelation series? I remember being very excited when they were first announced, then somehow I lost track of their progress.

[Suffolkcoastal]

I'm a great admirer of Vainberg/Weinberg's music. I'm not sure whether he would want to remembered as the 3rd great Soviet composer though, being Polish born. At his best he is certainly equal to and occasionally surpasses Shostakovich in quality, though not necessarily always in memorability. There is still much to explore and with still only a fair portion of his works yet to be recorded, it is still difficult to really form a secure judgement. Another composer who we hear little of and perhaps could also be considered to be among the finest Soviet composers is Gavril Popov.