That Moisei Vainberg was indebted to Dmitry Shostakovich's compositional example is well known to those who are familiar with his music. As this disc of chamber music shows, Vainberg's music is steeped in the style and rhetoric of his mentor and friend, and Vainberg's ironically heroic themes, relentlessly astringent harmonies, and emotional intensity all owe much to the example of the great Soviet composer. Of course, Vainberg's music can stand on its own. Vainberg was a highly skillful composer who knew what he wanted to ...
Read More
That Moisei Vainberg was indebted to Dmitry Shostakovich's compositional example is well known to those who are familiar with his music. As this disc of chamber music shows, Vainberg's music is steeped in the style and rhetoric of his mentor and friend, and Vainberg's ironically heroic themes, relentlessly astringent harmonies, and emotional intensity all owe much to the example of the great Soviet composer. Of course, Vainberg's music can stand on its own. Vainberg was a highly skillful composer who knew what he wanted to say and how to say it clearly and effectively.On this Delos disc coupling Vainberg's Piano Quintet from 1944 with his String Quartets No. 11 and No. 13 from 1966 and 1977, the Vilnius String Quartet and pianist Golda Vainberg-Tatz tear into the music with unreserved enthusiasm, dynamics that push the boundaries of their sound, and tempos that sometimes take them to the limits of their endurance. Delos' digital sound is distant and reverberant. ~ James Leonard, Rovi
Read Less
