Weinberg's composition teacher, Vasily Andreyevich Zolotaryov, was a student of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, who believed Jewish music was suitable for symphonic works, influencing Weinberg's path.
Performer Biography
Raphael Wallfisch studied with the renowned Russian cellist Gregor Piatigorsky in California and performed chamber music with Jascha Heifetz at Piatigorsky's home.
Composer Biography
Mieczysław Weinberg, the composer, was born in Warsaw, Poland, and his father was an experienced violinist and arranger who played popular repertoire and recorded music for Poland's first recording company.
Performer Biography
Raphael Wallfisch, the cellist on this recording, was born in London to musician parents who were Holocaust survivors and knew other exiled composers.
Historical Context
Weinberg faced harsh criticism in Moscow, being accused of lacking optimism in his music and drawing on Jewish music, which coincided with rising state anti-Semitism.
Historical Context
Weinberg fled his birthplace in September 1939 due to the outbreak of World War II and later fled again in 1941 when the Germans invaded the Soviet Union.
Interpretation
Raphael Wallfisch considers it his life's mission to champion the music of Jewish composers who were silenced or forced to flee their homelands by the Third Reich.
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