Chamber Symphony No. 1 for String Orchestra, Op. 145 (1986)
Chamber Symphony No. 4 for Clarinet and String Orchestra, Op. 153 (1992)

I know, I know ... it seems I've covered more recordings (twenty or so) of the music of Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919-1996) than most of the more "popular" or "mainstream" composers. What can I say? I believe his music touches at the heart of the human condition. Along with Dmitri Shostakovich, he seems to have captured and best expressed the level of crippling damage the oppression and brutality of the 20th century exerted on humanity. Mind you, his music is not all doom and gloom, as some of his earlier full scale symphonies display moments of mocking or sardonic humor, and/or joyful life events, but these Chamber Symphonies, composed during the final years of his life, encompass the desolation left behind.

These 1998 recordings, now reissued on the Alto label, were well-received world premiere recordings, of music by a composer who had been abhorrently overlooked and ignored throughout his lifetime. At the time, the Penguin Guide described the Chamber Symphony No. 4 as "music of real substance." In my opinion, conductor Thord Svedlund and the members of the Umeå Symphony Orchestra fully captured, within these hitherto uncharted works, the essence of Mieczyslaw Weinberg. Scored for string orchestra, they sound outwardly bucolic in nature, but conceal an inner sense of conflict and sadness.

The Alto label has built its reputation around well curated reissues and remasters of past recordings from discontinued bins, or defunct labels, well worth preserving. In other words they've rescued excellent recordings from the jaws of oblivion, and all at a budget price. If you are not familiar with the music of Weinberg, this recording is as good an entry point as any. If you are, this CD will make a nice addition to your collection.