Attacca Quartet & Jeanne Golan - Weinberg: Piano Quintet, Piano Sonatina & Cello Sonata No. 2 (2018) [24/192]

Mieczyslaw Weinberg, a composer beginning to be known outside Russia, found a home in music during a life full of persecution, exile, and upheaval. Pianist Jeanne Golan, cellist Andrew Yee, and the Attacca Quartet give passionate performances of three Weinberg works: the Piano Quintet Op. 18, the Cello Sonata Op. 63 No. 2, and the Sonatine for Piano, Op. 49, on their new recording for the Steinway & Sons label (STNS 30072).

“I'd begun to hear about Weinberg from friends involved in the 'recovered voices' movement and so tracked down a few chamber music scores,” says Golan. “Reading through them for the first time, I immediately felt connected to this man's music. His drawing on Yiddish folk elements that were such a part of my home growing up, his distinct brand of Russian modernism so fresh and expressive… Combined with the naturalness of his writing for piano that makes the playing itself a joy, how could you not love that?”

Golan eventually shared her love of Weinberg’s music with Andrew Yee, cellist in the Attacca Quartet. They read through the Cello Sonata together, and the sheer beauty of the slow movement was more than enough to convince Yee to focus more deliberately on the composer’s output. Golan suggested recording the Sonata, along with Weinberg’s epic Piano Quintet, and Yee brought his fellow Quartet members on board. “All of us in the Attacca Quartet quickly fell for the mysterious colors and bold statements of the Quintet, and Jeanne was a dream to work with,” enthused Yee. “These two pieces of Weinberg’s deserve to be in the core repertoire, and we couldn’t be prouder to release this album on the Steinway label.”

“Golan, aside from being a formidable pianist, is one with a deep intellectual and aesthetic curiosity. She is an imaginative and tasteful curator of the programs she presents.” (Fanfare Magazine)

Tracklist:
01. Piano Quintet, Op. 18: I. Moderato con moto
02. Piano Quintet, Op. 18: II. Allegretto
03. Piano Quintet, Op. 18: III. Presto
04. Piano Quintet, Op. 18: IV. Largo
05. Piano Quintet, Op. 18: V. Allegro agitato
06. Piano Sonatina, Op. 49: I. Allegro leggiero
07. Piano Sonatina, Op. 49: II. Adagietto lugubre
08. Piano Sonatina, Op. 49: III. Allegretto
09. Cello Sonata No. 2, Op. 63: I. Moderato
10. Cello Sonata No. 2, Op. 63: II. Andante
11. Cello Sonata No. 2, Op. 63: III. Allegro

Personnel:
Jeanne Golan, piano