MIECZYSŁAW WEINBERG (1919-1996): String Quartets, Vol. 1 - No. 2 in G, Op. 3/145, No. 5 in B Flat, Op. 27 and No. 8 in C, Op. 66.

Description: A new cycle of these 17 quartets begins (cpo’s pioneering cycle is now only available as a complete box set))! The Second, composed in 1939 – 40 while studying in Minsk, was dedicated to Weinberg’s mother and sister, who he would later learn had not survived the German invasion of Poland. No. 5, of 1945, was the first in which he added titles to each movement, and reflects the influence of Shostakovich over the young composer. The final quartet in this program – No. 8 – was written in 1959 and dedicated to the Borodin Quartet. For many years the best-known of Weinberg’s quartets in the west, this single-movement work is divided into three sections with a coda. Arcadia Quartet.