Based on sacred Jewish themes and cast in the grand style of the Russian Romantics, Jacob Weinberg's nearly forgotten Piano Concerto No. 2 in C major (1944) is the focus of this world-premiere recording in the groundbreaking Milken Archive series. This concerto's splashy piano part, accessible tonality, and profusion of hummable melodies make it attractive and memorable, and the flamboyant performance by pianist Jorge Federico Osorio and the Barcelona Symphony, conducted by Karl Anton Rickenbacher, is lustrous and evocative ...
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Based on sacred Jewish themes and cast in the grand style of the Russian Romantics, Jacob Weinberg's nearly forgotten Piano Concerto No. 2 in C major (1944) is the focus of this world-premiere recording in the groundbreaking Milken Archive series. This concerto's splashy piano part, accessible tonality, and profusion of hummable melodies make it attractive and memorable, and the flamboyant performance by pianist Jorge Federico Osorio and the Barcelona Symphony, conducted by Karl Anton Rickenbacher, is lustrous and evocative. Yet as pleasant as this concerto is, it is trite in spots, and Weinberg's heavy-handed references to nineteenth century models tend to weaken the music's impact. Considered for its form and content, it pales in comparison with the richly melodic but more rigorous String Quartet, Op. 55 (1950), which will satisfy listeners who need something tougher to chew on. The sinewy Bingham String Quartet delivers the work with vigor and passion, though its sound is somewhat muffled and thick...
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