Symphony No. 2 for string orchestra, Op. 30 (1946)
Chamber Symphony No. 2 for string orchestra, Op. 147 (1987)

Hot on the heels of their reissue of the Chamber Symphonies 1 & 4 by Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919-1996), Alto Records have now released the 1998 recording with the same orchestra and conductor, of two prime yet albeit dichotomous symphonic works by this shamefully overlooked composer. Separated by a span of over 40 years, they well demonstrate the composer's gradual yet pronounced shift in musical as well as emotional outlook.

Despite having been written shortly after the war, during which he fled from Poland to the USSR, the Symphony No. 2 for string orchestra, Op. 30 emanates a somewhat sunnier (with a grain of salt) disposition than the latter work. Its first movement in particular is driven forward by pleasantly flowing counter melodies flawlessly tossed around from cellos to upper strings. And its final movement is characterized by the same type of sardonic humour one would associate with the music of Dmitri Shostakovich. The 1987 Chamber Symphony No. 2 for string orchestra, Op. 147 on the other hand, bolstered by a single timpani, is punctuated by bursts of anger and indignation. Its second movement marked Pesante sounds like a clumsy and ungraceful minuet, and its final Andante sostenuto brings to mind some of Shostakovich's most gripping slow movements.

I've said this many times before and I will say it again. If you admire the music of 20th century composers, especially Soviet era composers like Prokofiev and Shostakovich, which in my opinion have always best exemplified the pervasive malaise of their times, than Mieczyslaw Weinberg is definitely a composer worth further investigation. And this eminent reissue, at a budget price, of a landmark recording is as good a place to start as any.