This album was recorded at Paliesiaus dvaras, Lithuania, in June 2019, with artistic direction by Mūza Rubackytė.
Notable Performances
Shostakovich's Piano Quintet premiered on November 23, 1940, at the Moscow Conservatoire, achieving such success that the composer wandered the streets all night to recover.
Composer Biography
Mieczyslaw Weinberg and his family suffered under both Nazism and Stalinism, and he endured ostracism from the Soviet regime due to his Jewish roots.
Composition History
Shostakovich's Piano Quintet was composed at the request of the Beethoven Quartet, a prestigious Soviet ensemble, who wanted to perform a work with the composer at the piano.
Performer Biography
Pianist Mūza Rubackytė, born in Lithuania, was a member of the Lithuanian resistance and could only leave the USSR in 1989.
Compositional Technique
Both Shostakovich's and Weinberg's piano quintets are distinctive for comprising five movements, a number that coincides with the form and configuration of the ensemble.
Composer Biography
Dmitri Shostakovich and Mieczyslaw Weinberg were friends, with Shostakovich actively supporting Weinberg during the difficult Stalin years.
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