Weinberg: Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes, Op. 47 (Arr. for Ensemble by Michael Csányi-Wills) [Excerpt]

Featuring

Thomas Verity
Concettina Del Vecchio
Marcel Becker
Rob Shepley
Michael Csányi-Wills
Mieczysław Weinberg

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Composer Biography

Mieczysław Weinberg, a Polish composer, experienced immense tragedy and upheaval, fleeing Warsaw on foot and later his parents and sister died under the Nazis.

Notable Performances

The orchestral version of Weinberg's 'Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes' for solo violin and orchestra was performed the evening before his arrest by Stalin's forces.

Album & Artwork

The album's concept, 'ECHOES', connects works by Polish composer Mieczysław Weinberg and British-Hungarian pianist and composer Michael Csányi-Wills, exploring themes across borders, history, and genres.

Historical Context

Mieczysław Weinberg's parents were originally from Chișinău (now Moldova) and Odessa (now Ukraine), influencing his 'Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes' which features folk and Jewish melodies from the historical Moldavia region.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Decades after writing his Clarinet Sonata, Mieczysław Weinberg stated his moral duty was to write about the war and the terrible things that happened in his century.

Composition History

Michael Csányi-Wills's Clarinet Sonata was inspired by his exposure to Weinberg's violin sonatas and the klezmer-inflected playing of clarinetist Thomas Verity.

Composition History

Michael Csányi-Wills's 'Karlovka: Variations for Bass Clarinet & Piano on a Ukrainian Theme' is based on a 1945 folk song recorded by a 19-year-old concentration camp prisoner, Fira Mitsel.